


I Do What I Like

by XxTheDarkLordxX



Series: The I Do Series [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adorable relationship, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Amazing places, Bottom Draco Malfoy, Bottom Harry Potter, Draco is a horny bastard, Drama, Dwarves, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Giants, Goblins, Harry and Draco in love, Harry loves him anyways, Honeymoon, Husbands, Inncubi and Succubae, Leprechauns, Love, M/M, Magical Beings not Magical Creatures, New countries, Prejudice, Reincarnation Elements, Smut, Soulmates, Stalking, Switching, Top Draco Malfoy, Top Harry Potter, Trolls, Vampires, Veela, Werewolves, creature rights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-10-25 22:32:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 167,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10773834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxTheDarkLordxX/pseuds/XxTheDarkLordxX
Summary: Things are going surprisingly well for Harry and Draco. Newly married and exploring the world on their honeymoon. They aren't caring what the Daily Prophet has to say about their union. They don't care what anyone thinks about their relationship. They are going to do whatever they want and the rest of the world could either fall in line or get bent.Only problem is things aren't going well elsewhere. Hogwarts has gone to hell. Werewolves are being hunted. Prejudice against Magical Creatures has skyrocketed. Tensions are at an all time high and solutions are running thin.Will Harry and Draco be able to enjoy their time away or will they be caught up in the politics of it all?





	1. Singapore

**Author's Note:**

> This is the next installment to my 'I Do' Series. I would highly recommend reading the first part. 
> 
> Hello, my lovelies! I do hope that I haven't kept you waiting too bad. I know that I mentioned that I would have the next bit started within the week. I have failed that estimate. Hopefully you forgive me! *Puppy dog eyes* To make up for that, I have provided you all with a very long chapter. I could have made this into at least three chapters but there is a reason that all of it is kept into just the one. Enjoy the long chapter! 
> 
> Disclaimer. I do not own any rights to the Harry Potter world. All that belongs to J.K Rowling. Also, this story includes slash. If that bothers you, then please leave.

            “I feel like we are forgetting something.” Harry mused out loud. He hated feeling like that. It felt like forgetting a locked door or wondering if the oven was left on. That type of thing. He wracked his brain trying to remember what it was that he forgot, but nothing was coming to mind. Typical.

            Draco paused in his attempts to drag Harry quicker. He just wanted to get to the sanctuary already. They had only been in Singapore a couple of days, but they still hadn’t had an opportunity to visit the magical creature sanctuary. They may have spent some rather pleasurable days just getting lost in each other’s bodies, instead of sightseeing.

            “Something important? Or just like you forgot to wear pants?”

            Harry rolled his eyes but his mouth was twitching. “Now that you mention it…” He teased with a smirk.

            Draco blinked as he traveled up and down Harry’s body. They were both in muggle clothing but it did nothing to hide how delicious his husband looked. He tried to think back to their conversation they were having but his mind couldn’t help but wonder if Harry really wasn’t wearing any pants underneath his trousers.

            Harry’s smirk widened at the distracted blonde. “Stop picturing me naked or we will never make it.” He warned. A long drawn out sigh was his answering reply. Draco shook his head to clear the lovely lust that had been rooting.

            “Such a tease.” Draco grumbled before he started pulling on Harry’s hand again. “You never did answer my question though.” He pointed out.

            “I don’t know.” Harry admitted, slightly in frustration. “I just feel like we were supposed to do something and we didn’t do it.”

            Draco shot him a leer. “I know what I would like to do.” He waggled his brows suggestively.

            Harry sighed heavily. “That is something you have definitely not forgotten to do.” He shook his head at his incredibly horny husband.

            “Later.” Harry promised. As much as he would like to play it off or pretend that it was only Draco that got like this, it would be pointless. They both knew that he wanted Draco as much as his soulmate wanted him.

            “I will hold you to that-” Draco stopped talking when he caught sight of their destination.

            Harry frowned when his lover paused. He looked up and his eyes widened. It was beautiful. They had talked to the person in charge of their suite and the wizard had warned them that they would have to travel through a muggle attraction to get to the sanctuary… they just didn’t expect the attraction to be so gorgeous.

            Birds. There were birds everywhere. Harry knew that the place was called Bird Park… he just didn’t think it actually meant that the entire place was an aviary. He grabbed the nearest tourist map off of an employee and looked it over.

            Draco looked over the map with his lover and let out a whistle. “Harry there has got to be at least three hundred different bird species in here.” He looked around and was impressed with the muggles that built the place.

            “Four hundred.” Harry corrected with a shake of his head as he read over the map. “Over five thousand birds are inside the aviary.” He wondered if this was the largest aviary in the world. He hadn’t ever paid much attention to things like that before.

            “There.” Draco pointed out a destination on the map. “We have to go through there to get to the sanctuary.” He had wondered why the magical sanctuary would be in the middle of a muggle attraction but he was now understanding the situation. The place was hiding in plain sight.

            Harry hummed in thought. “That is right between the areas for Pelicans and Parrots.” Which was on the other side of the park from the entrance.

            Draco did not like the idea of walking that far. “Oh look.” He said in delight. “There is a train we can take.” The muggles were genius. Not that he was going to admit that, but it was true nonetheless.

            They quickly boarded the train and settled in to wait for more people to get in so they could take off. There were fast conversations happening all around them. Singapore was a widely diverse place. Many different languages being spoken, and not a single one of them did they understand. They had used a translation spell but when talking to muggles, that didn’t work very well. Sure, the spell translated what the muggle would say, but they couldn’t use the spell to translate their own words back. It was the spell that would take their own words and translate them to the person. The spell would seriously freak out the muggle if they weren’t careful. So when talking to non-wizards, they had to try and find someone to translate for them or just hope the person spoke English.

            Draco put his hands on the seat in front of him and leaned forward, he was trying to take a better look at the birds that he could barely see in the distance. He hoped that after the sanctuary, Harry wouldn’t mind sticking around and looking at the birds. He barely paid the person in front of him any mind. He made sure not to get into their personal space as he narrowed his eyes in concentration. He wasn’t an expert on non-magical animals. So he wasn’t sure what kind of bird he was trying to look at.

            “Aren’t you a little young to be married?” An attitude filled voice interrupted his musings.

            Draco startled slightly at the voice. He looked over to see the lady in front of them had turned disapproving eyes on his hands that were still on her seat. He looked down and noticed that she was staring at his wedding ring. He narrowed his eyes at her, as he was filled with annoyance. She was an older lady, at least sixty. She had an accent that suggested that she knew English but it wasn’t her first language. He wasn’t sure if she was native to Singapore or not, he didn’t care.

            “Aren’t you a little old to be a judgmental, daft, rude bint? Surely more than wisdom comes with age.” He retorted angrily.

            Harry groaned at that. He knew the lady had been rude but it was like Draco just had no filter. It was a wonder that he could take his husband anywhere.

            A dramatic gasp was his reply. “Excuse me?” The lady asked in outrage. “It was just a question. There was no need to be rude.”

            Draco arched an elegant eyebrow. “So was mine. Yes, I am married and yes, I am young. What the two have to do with anything, is beyond me. I am lucky enough to have found the love of my life at a young age. If that bothers you, then get the fuck over it. Besides, what do you care if I am married? Do you get easily upset over what strangers who have nothing to do with you, do with their own lives? Lives that again, have nothing to do with you?”

            There was a pregnant pause as Draco waited for the lady to either finish her argument or to shut up altogether.

            “Where is the respect for your elders?”

            Draco looked up to see another passenger a couple seats up turn to complain. He looked rather unimpressed at the nosy man.

            “Respect? That isn’t something that can be demanded of anyone. It is earned. I refuse to respect someone that has not shown me any respect. I don’t care if you are five or fifty-five, age holds no importance when it comes to respect. If you show me respect, then I will show you that same respect back. She was rude and judgmental towards my life choices, which have nothing to do with her and yet you think I should respect someone like that just because they are old as dirt?” His tone of voice suggested the man had lost his mind.

            Draco had been prepared to lay into the man but a gentle hand on his knee stopped him. He gripped Harry’s hand on his body tightly. He narrowed his eyes at the man and the old lady. “Let’s just keep our opinions to ourselves and enjoy the ride in silence.” He suggested before dismissing them completely and turning his attention towards Harry.

            The wait before the train took off, was rather tense. Harry could practically feel the displeasure from the two rude passengers, but it was nothing to the anger he could feel from Draco. He leaned in till he pressed his mouth up against his lover’s ear.

            “They don’t know our love, Draco. They don’t know us and they don’t know what they are talking about.” He whispered before pressing a gentle kiss against the hallow of his soulmate’s throat.

            Draco felt his anger melt away and had to marvel at how quickly Harry could tame him. He should probably worry about that, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care.

            Despite the rough beginning to the ride, Draco was enjoying all of the birds that he could see as they made their way around the park. “Look Harry!”

            Harry smiled widely at the pure joy and enthusiasm he could feel from his soulmate. He rested his head on Draco’s shoulder in contentment as he looked at every bird that Draco wanted to show him.

            “Ooo. What kind of bird is that one?” Draco wondered as the train stopped for a brief moment at the next station.

            Harry looked at the blue bird with an almost afro of feathers on its head. “I think it is some type of pigeon.” He looked down at the map and nodded his head when his hunch was correct. It was a crowned pigeon.

            Draco blinked in disappointment before his eyes widened. “Oh! Look over there! It’s a toucan.”

            Harry couldn’t stop smiling at Draco’s enthusiasm, he couldn’t remember a time when he had seen Draco so relaxed and free. Things had been tense for a long time. Even before the darkness there had been the trial and everything going on with the Weasleys. They didn’t have a whole lot of time to just enjoy their surroundings or each other until now. He adored the happiness in the bond. Loved the positive and carefree emotions from Draco.

            Draco could feel happiness from Harry but he was too distracted by all the different birds to really pay attention to why his lover was happy. He was just glad that he was. Harry deserved to be happy and he was glad that Harry was enjoying their honeymoon.

            At the next train stop, Harry and Draco quickly got off. They would have to walk a little bit but that was alright. They didn’t even pay attention to the relieved breath that the old lady let out at their departure. They were too caught up in the scenery.

            Harry entwined their fingers together as they strolled leisurely through the aviary. He watched the almost childlike excitement in Draco’s eyes and he melted. He knew that Draco had never done anything like this before. He himself had only ever been to a zoo the one time and that hadn’t ended well for anyone. Except for maybe the snake.

            “Where is it supposed-” Harry stopped talking when his eyes looked over the space between the parrots and the pelicans. What had just been a walkway and an entry for employees, was now a giant wall covered in vines. He would have thought it was just a part of the whole attraction except for the fact that between the gaps of the vines, he could make out a shopping district. He thought it looked somewhat like Diagon Alley… only more welcome. Which was a little surprising considering that Diagon Alley was already decently friendly. The shops were smashed together and colorful. Every single shop was a different color than its neighbor. There weren’t many robes being worn. Just bright clothes all around.

            Draco looked around quickly to make sure that there weren’t any muggles looking at them before he pulled Harry forward and straight into the vines. He had recognized the vines almost immediately. _Virganes._ Anyone meaning harm to the people inside would instantly be strangled to death by the plant. They were similar to devils snare in the fact that they could be deadly. He tilted his head to the side as he detected muggle repelling charms. He wondered how well that would work considering that the sanctuary was located _inside_ a muggle attraction. How would that even apply? He looked over his shoulder when he heard footsteps. He narrowed his eyes when the muggles looked right at them, only they didn’t seem to notice that they were there.

            “You know, I think we will eat here at the restaurant after all.” A female muggle told the rest of her group.

            “But I thought that you said it was a rip off? And that we could find a cheaper place outside of here?” One of her friends argued.

            “I know that, but I just feel like the food will be good here. I don’t know _why_ I think that.” She mused as they drifted away.

            Draco smirked. So the spells not only repelled the muggles away but also convinced them to spend more money here. He wondered if wizards had a hand in some of the attractions at the aviary. Perhaps they ran both? Very Slytherin.          

            Harry had started to panic when Draco walked them into the vines. He had thought that maybe it was like Kings cross, he thought that they would just walk through them. He did not think that the vines would be touching him and holding him in place.

            “Draco what is going on?”

            Draco looked over at Harry when he detected fear. “It’s alright.” He soothed. “They are detecting your intent. This is a sanctuary for magical creatures. Anyone intending to do harm to those inside will perish in the vines. Since we don’t want to do that, we are perfectly fine.”

            Harry wasn’t sure if that was supposed to reassure him. It would have been nice to have known this _before_ his husband dragged them into the vines. He frowned when Draco was released but he was not. “Uhh…” He trailed off uncertainly.

            Draco hummed in thought as he stared at the _Virganes_. The plant should have released Harry by now. He knew that it wasn’t because they detected a threat, otherwise they would have just attacked. Something else was going on.

            Harry jumped in shock when he felt a vine travel along his back and heading south towards his arse. He put all the force that he could to break free and sighed in relief when he was released. “I think the vines just tried molesting me.” He complained as he stepped behind Draco. He wasn’t hiding… he was just using his lover as a shield… that is all.

            Laughter. Harry frowned when Draco just laughed at him. “Oh nonsense love.” Draco chided gently as the vines made room for them to walk through. “The _Virganes_ only has one purpose and that-” He was cut off by a whimper from Harry. He turned around and froze in shock when he was met with the sight of Harry covered in the vines. The vines were slowly moving along Harry’s neck in a not very innocent manner.

            Harry pleaded with Draco to do _something_. He didn’t want to use magic on a plant that he knew nothing about. Especially not a deadly plant that could kill people.

            Draco frowned. Perhaps Harry had been right, the plant did seem rather attached to him. He reached out and grabbed hold of Harry and pulled hard enough to release his soulmate from the grasps of the plant vines.

            “That was odd.” Draco mused as he straightened Harry’s clothes and hair the best he could. The clothes were easy. The hair however, was a lost cause.

            Harry huffed. “Next time I tell you that a plant is molesting me, I would like some credibility.” Draco rolled his eyes.

            “Alright. I am sorry for not thinking that a plant was molesting my husband.” He shook his head with a small smile. “The next time a plant molests you, I promise that I won’t even think about it, I will just attack.”

            Harry didn’t like the humor in the bond, he huffed rather put out but still allowed Draco to hold his hand.

            Draco had been about to tell Harry something when he realized that all of the people that had been in the road, were staring at them. He didn’t like it. It wasn’t a stare that made him feel like something was wrong. It was more of a way when you admire someone’s clothes and wish you had the same kind.

            “Draco, why are they staring at us?” Harry whispered. “Is it because we aren’t magical creatures?” He bit his lip in worry. He knew that it was a sanctuary for magical creatures, a place that any creature could go to with no fear of prejudice. Wizards and Witches were welcome as long as they weren’t there to do harm but the stares were making him worry that they were now the minority. Perhaps there was a prejudice against them too? He wasn’t sure what was going on but he didn’t like it. He hated being the center of attention.

            Draco shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea why everyone was staring at them. He didn’t like it either. He had never liked being noticed for things that held no merit to who he was. Usually he was being noticed for being a Malfoy, or recently because he had been a deatheater. He was safe from both of that here in Singapore, so he wasn’t sure what has happening.

            They began walking slowly, both trying and failing to pretend like this was a normal experience. The place had once resembled the hustle and bustle of busy shoppers but now it was quieter than a graveyard. There weren’t even any peeps or noises to be heard. It was so unnerving.

            Draco looked around and took in the buildings. They were so different here and he admired them. He admired the colors. Everywhere was just so pretty with the different shades and hues. He wished that Diagon Alley looked like this. He smiled as they passed some of the shops. He detected shops for every magical creature out there. He even saw a troll shop. He wasn’t sure how many trolls actually came here, but it was still interesting to see. He made a mental note to visit the shop dedicated to werewolves. Draco hoped to find a souvenir for Remus. He knew that Harry would want to take a look around as well.

            Harry made a pleased noise when he caught sight of an incubus shop. He wondered if Demetrius would take offense to something from there. He knew the man wasn’t a full incubus but there must be something in there that Demetrius might like. At least he hoped there would be. Perhaps he could ask the owner of the store later on. He looked up and winced when he noticed that everyone was still staring at them. It was so distracting. How were they supposed to enjoy themselves if everyone was looking at them like they were now the birds of the aviary? Like that they were some odd species of humans. Something that they had never seen before. It was so uncomfortable.

            “Mommy they are so pretty.” Harry and Draco looked over to see a little girl with bandages around her eyes, facing their direction. Draco wondered how she could have seen them at all with the wrapping covering the top of her face.

            Harry looked up to the child’s mother and he furrowed his brows at the odd look on her face. He might have asked what her daughter meant but he changed his mind at the woman’s expression. He decided that silence was probably the best policy.

            At the end of the road was a giant building. At first Harry thought it was a branch of Gringotts but he realized when they got closer, that it was actually the main building of the sanctuary. It was the sanctuary itself. He let out a low whistle. It was nearly the size of Hogwarts. Perhaps a little smaller. It wasn’t as beautiful but it had its own beauty. The white gleaming marble was attractive when the sun shone down upon it.

            Draco was pleased when they made it to the doorway, he just wanted to get out of the gazes of the people in the road. He nodded his head at the two guards that were assigned to the door. He frowned when they didn’t perform any detection spells on them. He could tell by the way they held themselves and their eyes that they were vampires, which was a good choice for guards, they weren’t easily distracted. Until now, Draco had never seen flustered vampires before. He wondered if he should say something, he looked to Harry but caught the small shake to his head. Draco shrugged, if Harry didn’t want him to speak up, that was fine with him. He hadn’t been sure what he would have said anyways.

            Harry opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief when there wasn’t anyone in the main entrance. Just a giant sign letting the visitors know which floor provided what. His eyebrows rose when he caught sight of a healer level.

            “Why would there need to be a healer section? Shouldn’t they just go to a hospital?” He was positive that he had seen a magical hospital not too far from their hotel.

            Draco sighed sadly. “You would think so but a lot of magical creatures are seen last upon entry, in some cases dying before they are seen by a healer. Also, in some countries, magical creatures aren’t even allowed to go to a hospital.” He offered with anger. Why did the world have to be so cruel? Just because someone was different didn’t mean that they deserved to be treated as a second-class citizen. Life was important. Whether it be muggle, wizard or magical creature. Any life was worth saving.  

            Harry blinked rapidly as he tried to process that statement. What kind of nonsense was this? He just didn’t understand. He had always thought that Umbridge was just a silly old lady who had lost her marbles, but it seemed like the world was filled with people who thought just like that. To think that magical creatures couldn’t even go to a hospital without being judged, was just horrid. He wished there was something that he could do. He wished that he could change things, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the power to change the world. Despite what Luna and her predictions might think.

            “I know.” Draco assured him, when he felt the anger and melancholy fill his lover. He wished that they could do something about it too. Harry smiled when he caught sight of a children’s ward. The sign said it was a safe place for children to just be children. It filled him with such sadness that there even had to be a place like this set up. Shouldn’t children all around the world already have this?

            “The lecture hall is on this floor.” Draco mused. He was looking forward to learning more about magical creatures. The limited supply of accurate books didn’t go in to too much detail. He wished that there was more insight in the books. Actual things that he could learn about.

            Harry nodded his head but still looked sadly at the sign. He would like to have seen more of what the sanctuary had to offer, but he knew that there would be more time later.

            Draco couldn’t contain his excitement the closer he got to the lecture hall. He had been wanting to come here since he was a child. This had been the one place that he dreamed about visiting. This had been his secret from his father. A magical creature sanctuary was not someplace that his father would have taken him, nor was it a place that his father would have liked his son to even talk about it. It wasn’t that his father was prejudiced, he just didn’t care about what was happening to magical creatures. It was one of those things of, ‘It doesn’t affect me, so why should I care?’. Which is the wrong attitude to have. Injustice is something that should be fought against no matter who it is happening to. At least, that is what Draco thought.

            Harry thought about sending Draco calming emotions, but changed his mind. He loved feeling the chaotic emotions. It was so unusual to see his husband so out of character. He reveled in it.

            Draco stopped at the closed door, he reached out a hand to open it but paused to stare at Harry.

            “Thank you.” He whispered.

            Harry looked at him in confusion. He hadn’t done anything to be thanked for. He reached out to gently touch his lover’s cheek. “What for?”

            Draco leaned into the warm palm. “For bringing me here. I know I already thanked you but this means a lot to me.”

            Harry smiled warmly before leaning in to give him a sweet kiss. “I will always give you whatever you want.” He promised against the soft pink lips of Draco’s. He felt the smile against his own and he chuckled.

            “Let’s go in.” Harry suggested as he pulled away from the tempting blonde. If they continued to kiss, he knew that they would end up just going back to their suite. He really did want to see the sanctuary.

            “Yes.” Draco agreed, he steeled his nerves and slowly opened the door. He had been hoping that they would just quietly settle into the room without attracting too much attention, but that hope had been in vein. It would appear that they couldn’t go anywhere without eyes on them. He had a feeling that their eyes had been on the door before they even opened it. He knew that was a paranoid thought but he couldn’t help but think that, especially when every single person in the lecture hall was staring at them.

            Harry figured that everyone would look to the newcomers and then turn back to the speaker. He waited patiently but shifted uneasily when he noticed that no one was doing that. The polite thing would be to just look away. Hadn’t anyone taught them that staring was rude? What was with this place? He grabbed hold of Draco’s hand and pulled him into the nearest chairs by the door. He hoped that once everyone realized that they were just there to hear the lecture, that they would go back to what they had been doing before they entered.

            Draco frowned at the continued stares. Never in his life had he experienced this. Was it because they weren’t from here? He discarded that thought immediately. That wouldn’t make sense since the sanctuary attracted national attention. Was it really because they weren’t magical creatures? He didn’t think that could be it either, since the sanctuary provided lectures for wizards to learn about magical creatures in a friendly environment. Was that just a brochure attraction? Was the real thing not as it appeared? He was beginning to become disappointed. He had been dreaming about this place for years. He had imagined how warm and welcoming the place would be, only this wasn’t it. This was the furthest thing from welcoming. Sure, no one had actually insulted them but the creepy never ending stares weren’t exactly friendly.

            He was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic at the stares. He looked to Harry and frowned at the panic in the bond. This wasn’t worth it. He quickly stood up and pulled Harry out of the room. He noticed that there were some people in the hallway that were staring at them too. He narrowed his eyes at them and ran down the hall until there was a closed door. Draco hurried into the room and shut the door behind him.

            Harry was facing the door as Draco looked to him. “I couldn’t take the stares.” Draco offered in explanation. “We should just get out of here.”

            Harry detected the reluctance in the bond and he frowned. He knew how much this meant to his lover. Knew how much Draco had been looking forward to coming here. “Maybe we could try a different floor?” He offered in suggestion.

            Draco smiled at that. He knew that Harry was trying to make him feel better. He shook his head sadly. “I don’t think that will help anything. The stares are everywhere.”

            They both froze when they heard a sneeze. They turned as one to see that they had walked into a small room with about five people in it. In their haste to get away from the stares, they had unknowingly walked into a room with people in it. It looked as if the room had been some kind of work shop. The room was filled with teenagers all carving sculptures.

            “Sorry.” Draco began when he looked around. “We didn’t mean to interrupt you all. We just came in here to avoid the stares.”

            Harry arched a brow when no one spoke and they just kept staring. “The same staring that you are doing.” He offered with a wave of his hand. His tone of voice had been a little harsher then he intended but he was just so fed up with the glances.

            One of the teenagers coughed and cleared his throat. “Sorry.” He offered weakly. “It’s just that we have never seen soulmates before.”

            Harry and Draco froze in surprise. Harry smacked himself in the forehead. _That_ had been what he had forgotten. A dampening spell. He had _known_ that they should have put one on since they were in a foreign place.

            “Is that why we have been looked at like the birds on display in the aviary?” Draco grumbled. The group of kids all chuckled and nodded their heads.

            “Yes, the sanctuary is filled with all kinds of magical beings from around the world. We can all detect your bond in some way, shape or form.” Another kid piped up. He appeared to be about fifteen and _definitely_ a vampire. He had shaggy black hair that was shoulder length. His honey colored skin was striking against the black of his clothes. “The name is Pyotr.” The Russian accent was thick.

            Harry said the name in his head a couple times, trying to get the syllables to form properly. There was a flash of a smile that showcased very sharp fangs. “It can also be said as Peter, if that is easier to pronounce.”

            “Peter, it is.” Draco announced. Another fanged smile was his reply.

            “You can sit if you would like.” A shy small teen gestured to open seats across from Peter. The teen had a light burgundy hair color, one that surprisingly looked natural. His skin was slightly darker than Peter’s. Where Peter had a red tint to his eyes, this boy had deep, dark blue eyes.  

            Draco thanked the boy before he sat on one of the chairs and pulled Harry into his lap. This was how they usually sat and they weren’t going to change parts of themselves just to appeal to other people’s standards. They had gained some odd looks in the past couple of days but they just ignored that. It was usually muggles that looked at them funny. He sighed in relief when the teens just smiled at them.

            Harry looked around the room and smiled at the distracted teenagers. Now that he knew what the stares were about, he didn’t seem to mind them too much. “I imagine we are weird to you, huh?” He asked the room.

            Peter tilted his head to the side. “Typically, I would say nothing is weird around here. We get magical beings from all walks of life. I couldn’t even count all of the odd things that I have seen, but yes, I suppose you are right. Soulmates are not something that we have ever received in the sanctuary.”

            Draco wondered about the boy. He knew that when it came to vampires, that looks were deceiving. Vampires were always _way_ older than they appeared. The kid talked like he had been around the sanctuary a long time. A very long time.

            Harry hummed in thought. “We probably should have dimmed our bond so that we didn’t attract so much attention.”

            The shy teen shook his head rapidly. “Oh no. Don’t do that.” He begged. “It is so beautiful.” He was looking at them with a sense of awe.

            “You can see it, Kenny??” The first boy who had spoken to them piped up in wonder. He had short spikey purple hair. Harry felt a pang of remembrance to the bright colors that Tonks used to sport. Other than the hair colors, the resemblance to Tonks stopped there. This teen was tall, taller sitting than Harry was standing. If he had to guess, the teen would probably be over seven foot. He had the same topaz eyes as Remus and he didn’t have to be told that this guy was a werewolf.

            Draco smiled as he looked to the shy boy who they now knew was Kenny, the kid wasn’t meeting their eyes and Draco found that endearing.

            “Yes. I can see it.” Kenny looked up and noticed the curious look from Harry. “I am an incubus.” The boy hadn’t said he was partial like Demetrius, so that led Harry to believe that he was a full-blown incubus. Draco was staring at Kenny curiously. He had never even heard of a shy incubus before. Sure, full-blown incubus were nearly extinct but he had always heard how out going and sexual the beings were. It was interesting to see such a shy boy and know that he could attract any female or male that he wanted with just a small puff of power.

            “I wish I could see it.” The first boy with purple hair whined. “I can only smell it.” He looked over to them. “Werewolf.” He explained. “The name is Joseph.” He held out his hand for the both of them to shake.

            “Draco.” He offered and watched Harry introduce himself. “As you have already detected, we are soulmates.” It was nice being able to just admit that. Only their family knew that they were soulmates. He was proud of the fact that they were destined for each other. He wanted to shout it to the rooftops that Harry was his and would be so for eternity.

            Peter looked to Joseph in interest. “I can’t smell the bond.” He said in surprise. “I can hear it though.”

            Harry’s brows arched. That was a new one. He hadn’t come across anyone that could hear their bond. “What does it sound like?” Draco wondered out loud, echoing Harry’s thoughts.

            Peter tilted his head to the side as he regarded them closely. “You are in synch with each other. It is intriguing. I can hear an almost melody to the two of you. Like there is a soft whisper of music somewhere. It reminds me of a song that gets stuck in your head, only it is stuck in my ears.” He paused for a moment before his eyes widened. “It is not just the bond that is in synch. Your hearts beat at the exact same rate, you both breathe at the same time and you even blink together.”

            Harry and Draco could feel each other’s surprise in the bond. Harry had no idea that they were _that_ connected with each other. He wondered if they had been in synch from the first time they bonded or if this was a side effect from them both dying.

            “Woah.” The two remaining unintroduced boys said in unison. Harry looked at them and immediately noticed some resemblances to them. He wasn’t sure if they were siblings but they were definitely related.

            “I am Blake and this is my cousin Jake.” Harry detected an Australian accent as he listened to the boy speak. The two had the same brown hair but their eyes were slightly different. Blake had brown eyes while Jake’s were much darker, almost to the point of being black. They were incredibly pale, almost to the point of being considered albino. “We are hybrids. Our fathers are trolls. We can’t see your bond like Kenny here, but there is a visible aura to you both. It is like an imprint of the bond. A passing glimpse, almost like a shadow.” Blake explained.  

            Draco thought that he had to have heard them wrong. Trolls? He had never heard of trolls being with women. That was… different. He supposed if giants slept with humans then trolls could too. “How intriguing.” Draco mused as he leaned in to rest his chin on Harry’s shoulder.

            The two grinned together. “That is not the answer we normally get.” Jake replied in amusement.

            Harry tilted his head to the side. “Hybrid?” He asked in confusion. That had been the first time he had ever heard a magical creature say that before.

            The boys in the room all shared a look before Peter cleared his throat. “It would appear that it is story time.”

            Draco shrugged his shoulders, he didn’t mind learning some things. He as well had never heard of anyone calling themselves a hybrid.

            “Most people call us all magical creatures.” Peter began with narrowed eyes and a curl to his lip. “We are **not** creatures. We are magical beings. A magical creature is a classification used to describe Grindylows, Bowtruckles and other animals. Common animals in the magical spectrum. I am a vampire for hells sake. Not some creature. We may not be fully human but that does not make us some animal. It is offensive and not to mention degrading to be classified as such. I prefer the title of magical being. That title would describe the both of you as well. You are a wizard _and_ you are human. I am a wizard _and_ I am a vampire. We are _both_ magical beings trying to live our lives. Why is there a divide? Why do some classify us as things we are not? Why does the world deem you normal and me some creature that must be treated as such?” He paused in his rant to glare at the wall.

            Harry felt as if everything had just been tilted on its axis. He had no idea that magical creatures did not wish to be called as such. He hadn’t thought it was anything harmful to say. He supposed it was similar to racial issues in other aspects of the world. He thought about it and he could understand where they were coming from. When one thinks of a magical creature, his first instinct is usually to think of the magical creatures that Hogwarts taught about. After that, his mind thinks of werewolves and centaurs. It was a good point. Why were they both classified as the same thing?

            Draco’s brows rose in surprise. This had not been a line of thinking that he has ever had. He furrowed his brows at all of the magical beings that he has met in England and he couldn’t remember a single instance where any of them had asked to be called a magical being instead of a magical creature. He wondered if there was a reason for that. Remus had never seemed to show a displeasure at being called a magical creature. Was it just so normalized in their society that they didn’t consider it an insult? Or was it because their displeasure wouldn’t have changed societies viewpoint?

            “Hybrids.” Peter began again. “They are the offspring of a magical being and a human. Or even a magical being and another magical being. Jake and Blake have witches for mothers and trolls for fathers. They are hybrids. The offspring of a Veela and a human would be a hybrid. The younger generations have taken a liking to being called hybrids. They are still magical beings, it is just something that clarifies some finer parts. I am a magical being but I am not a hybrid. Werewolves are magical beings but they are not a hybrid. Goblins are magical beings but they are not a hybrid. The list goes on and on, you get the picture.” He waved his hand in the air. “Hybrid is just another way to get a deeper explanation of some magical beings.”

            Harry hummed in thought. Well that was interesting. He looked to Draco curiously. “Would that make Fleur and Demetrius hybrids?”

           Draco tilted his head to the side. “I am not sure. Fleur is only an eighth of a Veela. Demetrius is a sixteenth of an incubus.” He looked to the others in the room. “Wouldn’t a hybrid be the original offspring?”

            Peter chuckled at them. “Technically yes. Their blood has been diluted over the generations since the original offspring. They can be considered a hybrid if they wish but it would be a distant cousin. They are just magical beings.”

            They both made thoughtful noises at that. It made sense to a degree. It got a little confusing when considering their heritage but Peter was right in saying that the more generations that pass, the more the blood is diluted.

            Joseph looked at them in amusement. “You keep interesting company. Partial Veelas and incubi.”

            Harry shook his head with a small smile. “Also a werewolf.”

            Joseph let out a whistle. “Well you two just got a lot more interesting to me.”

            Draco looked around at the table curiously. “What exactly are you guys doing?”

            Kenny looked up at Draco for a moment before ducking his head to hide his gaze. “We are doing wood working for the afternoon.”

            “It was either that or arts and crafts.” Jake said with a shudder. “That is where the girls are, they think that woodworking is boring.”

            Draco furrowed his brows. “I thought that the teen area was on the third floor. At least I thought that is what the sign said.”

            Peter shook his head. “You are correct. That is the teen area but it is filled with _all_ of the teens who are traveling through as well. The number of teens that come in can be a lot. Plus, it is hard making friends just to watch them leave in a couple days. So we like to stick together since we all live around here.”

            Kenny nodded his head once in agreement. “Yes, crowds can be a bit… overwhelming.”

            Jake and Blake snorted loudly. “Kenny, you think everything is overwhelming.” They said together.

            Peter narrowed his eyes at them before barring his teeth in warning.

            Harry was fascinated by their dynamics. They all seemed rather close, although they had an interesting friendship. He watched the cousins hold their hands up in surrender, in amusement.

            Draco furrowed his brows. He didn’t think the teasing had been enough to warrant fangs. Perhaps they did things differently here. He smiled at the shy smile Kenny gave Peter. The teen was so shy that it surprised him. He had never met someone quite like Kenny before.

            “How old are you all?” Harry wondered as the boys began their woodworking again.

            “16.” Jake and Blake said together.

            “17.” Joseph told them with a puff to his chest, like being of age was an accomplishment.

            “17.” Kenny whispered not meeting their eyes. Harry was surprised at that. He would have guessed probably 14 or 15. Maybe it was the way the boy carried himself, that he appeared to be younger.

            They looked to Peter but caught an amused smile. “16.”

            Jake, Blake and Joseph all rolled their eyes. “Yeah but how long have you _been_ 16?” Jake asked with a snort. “He has said 16 for the past 5 years.”

            “He won’t tell us how old he is. Well he probably has told Kenny.” Joseph told them with a pout.

            Kenny turned a bright red before looking to the table. He shook his head rapidly. “I told you, I am not telling you. It is Pyotr’s wish that you don’t know.”

            Harry caught the tender look in the vampire’s eyes and he had to wonder how close the two of them were.

            “I am an original.” Peter told Harry and Draco in an explanation.

            Draco leaned forward the best he could with Harry on top of him. “Really?” He breathed out in awe. He had never come across an original, they were rather rare.

            Peter must have seen Harry’s confusion. “People assume that a vampire can only be produced by being bitten. But that is not true. If that was the case, then how did the first ever vampire exist? Someone would have had to bite them. It is the whole chicken and the egg debacle. Original vampires are vampires that are _born_ not bitten.”

            Harry dropped his mouth open in surprise. That was something that he didn’t even know could happen! No one had taught him that. This was just another thing that Hogwarts didn’t teach the students. Even in the books that he had read up on before coming here, hadn’t mentioned that.

            “Originals stop aging when their body deems fit. It can be at any age. Anywhere from 15 to 90. It is random and it has nothing to do with wishes or personal preferences. I have been this age for quite some time.” He shot a smirk towards Jake, Blake and Joseph who had been hoping to gleam some insight on his age through the story.

           “Originals can only be born from two original vampires. A bitten vampire and an original vampire will not produce a child. I am the offspring of two original vampires. There aren’t too many originals out there.” He offered sadly.

            “How come?” Harry asked curiously.

            Peter looked down at the table. “Vampires are seen as an abomination. We live longer than society deems normal. People want to live forever but they don’t want it the way we have it. Living forever is not a glamorous thing. It is not something that I would never wish to have. I would give anything to be able to age and grow older like you two. I have lost count of the friends that I have lost over the years. Vampires are lonely beings that tend to live alone, unless they have found a chosen mate.”

            Harry and Draco both smiled at the way Kenny’s face turned red at the last sentence. There was _definitely_ something going on with the two of them. Harry thought the two were an interesting combination. Peter was outspoken and friendly. While Kenny was shy to the point of barely talking. They were definitely opposites.

            Peter looked back up and they could all see the pain in his eyes. “Originals were hunted because humans saw us as something that must be destroyed. Bitten humans were given a pass because they had no choice in becoming a vampire.”

            Draco furrowed his brows. “But there isn’t a way to tell the difference by sight.”

            Peter gave a depraved chuckle. “Exactly.” He said darkly as he clutched his wood carving so hard that it splintered before turning into dust. “There is no way for a mortal to tell the difference. So they slaughtered any vampire that they could. Bitten or Original. Vampires had gone into hiding after the first time. Some places like America, we are still considered a myth. There are a lot of wizards and witches that don’t believe in us. Sure, the purebloods do but the American Magical Government doesn’t teach the youth about magical beings. So we are still viewed as a myth. British Magical Government knows of our existence and has allowed us to be mentioned in their books but not taught about in schools. Which is why you know _of_ us, but not the depths of our culture. Romanian Magical Government teaches their children about us… teaches them how to kill us.” He said angrily.

            “Russian Magical Government has outlawed us the right to enter the magical society.” He shook his head sadly at his own homeland outlawing vampires.

            “Australian Magical Government doesn’t teach or speak of us at all. I could speak out all day about all of the different countries, but I think you understand the point I am trying to make.” He let out a sigh. “Originals were hunted so thoroughly that we _had_ to bite select humans just to keep our civilization alive.”

            “There are bad vampires out there that will turn humans at the drop of a hat. They are taking their revenge out on society, but that is the minority not the majority. Most of us would never turn a human unless they desired it. We do not turn people on whims or fantasy dreams. We take immortality seriously. Like I said earlier, humans glamorize immortality. They think it is something they desire until they have lived generations and realize that the true gift of life is living it, not witnessing it pass from the sidelines. I have seen civilizations fall and decay while I stay the same. I have seen buildings crumble over the years until nothing is left but I will remain intact. Immortality is a fool’s dream, fantasized by the ignorant who don’t realize the harsh truth to our reality.”

            “Eternity is a long time to be alone.” Peter finished softly as he stared at the wall across the room. He looked back to Harry and Draco. “My parents were slaughtered in Russia many years ago for daring to enter the country. I have been alone ever since and hunted constantly for what I am.” He glared angrily before smiling slightly as he looked around the room. “That was until I came here. This sanctuary has been the only home I have had since my parents died.”

            Harry’s heart ached to hear the sadness in the man’s tone of voice. He couldn’t imagine being hunted like that. Being under constant attack for just being themselves… well he kind of understood. Voldemort had hunted him but that had only been for a couple years. Not to mention it was only one madman. He had never had to face an entire species of people out for his blood. Peter must have had to watch his back in every single country. Nowhere was safe against the prejudices of the world.

            Peter shook his head rapidly and Harry wondered if the vampire was trying to clear his sad memories. “But don’t let my sad history distract you. I am not the only one with hardships. Other magical beings have had it just as hard or even harder. The world is full of magical beings that are targeted for just being who they are. For just existing. We just want to coexist amongst society without fearing for our lives.”

            Joseph nodded his head. “Vampires aren’t the only ones who have Originals. There are werewolves that are born and not bitten. Not too many anymore but there are some.” He shook his head at Draco’s curious look. “No, I am not an original. My mother was though.” He said in a choked voice. “Unlike Vampires, a mating between and Original and a bitten will provide a child. Even an Original and a human. I suppose I could be classified as hybrid within my own species but not to the rest of the world.” He shrugged slightly. “An offspring of a bitten werewolf will not always make the child turn into a werewolf. It is actually really rare for that to happen. The offspring of an Original, will _always_ produce a werewolf child. I was born into this but I am technically not an Original if you count in my father’s heritage. Slightly confusing.” He said with a small chuckle.

            “My father wasn’t a werewolf.” His eyes turned cold and bitter. “My mother had told him that she was a werewolf from the beginning and he seemed okay with it. Until she had me. Imagine his horror when a newborn baby turned into a newborn cub once a month.” Harry’s brows rose in surprise and was thankful that Teddy was not like that. He couldn’t imagine how Remus would be able to handle Teddy’s transformation and his own at the same time.

            “He didn’t realize that that would happen to the children too. He put up with it for a while. He tried to be a father.” He snorted humorlessly. “It wasn’t a very good attempt, mind you. I was five when he finally snapped and couldn’t take it. The taunting that he would get for just being with my mother was hard enough, but now he had produced a child that was a werewolf too. The pressure from society was too much for him. He ended up killing my mother in her sleep. I heard the attack and tried to run…” He trailed off blinking rapidly. “Let’s just say only one of us made it out of the fight. It was two days before the full moon but something happened that night and I lost it. I ended up demolishing his entire body without even changing. I am not sure what actually happened that night. I just know that I went to bed as a somewhat normal five-year old and the next thing I know, I am fighting for my life against the man that was supposed to always love and protect me.” He growled lowly in his throat. The noise sounded _very_ much like a wolf in that moment.

            “All of that is the better bits of my life. I won’t even tell you the things that I have faced _before_ making it here.”

            Draco was horrified to hear that nearly dying by his father’s hand was _not_ the worst thing that had happened to Joseph.  

            “But things got better when I came here.” Joseph said with a small smile. “This pace is something else. Everyone here knows what I was going through and I was immediately accepted for who I am. I don’t have to hide what I am, nor do I have to be ashamed of being a werewolf. I am just myself and that is enough.”

            Harry felt a sense of pride well up in him for the stranger. He couldn’t imagine the life that they have all had to lead and yet they were still strong. They still had a reason to keep fighting and he admired them all for that.

            “Our lives weren’t as bad as that.” Blake piped up after a pause. “Jake and I had a hard time in school. Just children bullying. It took its toll on us but it was never anything life threatening.”

            Jake nodded his agreement. “Our mothers are sisters and they both looked for somewhere that would accept us both. It was hard. This was literally the only place that welcomed us with open arms.” He shrugged. “But that is alright. We love it here.” He said with a bright smile.

            They all looked to Kenny, seeing as he was the last one. Draco’s mouth twitched when the boy looked positively frightful at the prospect of talking about himself.

            Peter looked at Kenny tenderly before looking up at them. He opened his mouth to say something but the door to the room slammed open harshly, making everyone jump in surprise.

            Harry looked over to see a girl who appeared to be in her early twenties, standing in the doorway. She had a beauty to her that didn’t seem natural. She was almost _too_ pretty. There was something different about the girl, something that confused him. He wasn’t in the least bit tempted, but it was like she demanded attention wherever she goes. She had a deep burgundy colored hair and cold, icy blue eyes. Harry didn’t like her one bit. There was something about her that screamed ‘bitch’. She hadn’t even said anything but yet he felt like she carried herself in a way that seemed like she was better than everyone else.

            “Kenny, have you heard-” She stopped talking as soon as she caught sight of Harry and Draco.

            Draco arched a brow. He just _knew_ that she had been about to talk about them.

            The girl straightened up and threw them both a sultry look, one that held a predatory gleam in it. She shut the door slowly before leaning against it in an exaggerated way, showing off a _very_ short skirt.

            “Hello. My name is Scarlett.” Harry furrowed his brows at the odd purr quality to her tone. Like she was speaking in a different way than normal. It wasn’t quite like an accent. He was reminded of parstletongue, not the language itself but that he could hear the hisses _and_ the actual language. He was hearing what she was saying but there was _something_ else in her tone too. He had never come across something like this before. It was odd. He wasn’t sure how she was projecting something else into her tone of voice.

            Draco could feel Harry’s confusion and it mirrored his own. If he didn’t know any better, he would think that she was attempting to use some kind of ability on him. Only, he wasn’t sure what kind of Magical being she was.

            “I am Harry and this is my husband, Draco.” Draco smiled softly at that. He still got a thrill every time he got to say that he was married.

            The girl frowned at them before looking up to Kenny. “Is it the same for you?”

            Harry was surprised to see Kenny glaring at the girl. That was the most spirited he had seen the boy show in an emotion that wasn’t embarrassment.

            “I haven’t tried Scar, it is rude.” He said in a dangerous voice, one that caused Draco to raise his brows. There had been a warning in there somewhere, of that he was sure.        

            Scarlett rolled her eyes. “It is in our nature Ken. Why shouldn’t I use my abilities when I can?” She said in a flirtatious way as she looked back to Harry and Draco. She opened her hands and let out a breathy sigh.

            Draco narrowed his eyes when everyone in the room besides them, tensed immediately. He had felt a ripple of _something_ being released in the air. He couldn’t smell or see anything, so he thought that it must have been a failed spell.

            A loud snarl made Harry jump slightly and turn wide eyes to see Kenny standing up with his palms on the table. “Enough! You know better than to release pheromones into a room with more than one person. Do you _want_ to start a fight? Do you want to get yourself kicked out of the sanctuary? Just because you _can_ manipulate people’s desires does not mean that you should. You are the reason that our kind get such a bad reputation.”

            Ahh, she was a succubus. Draco could see the resemblances to Kenny and it made sense that they were related.

            Draco looked over to see Peter holding on to Joseph who was gripping the table hard in an effort to get to Scarlett. His other hand was holding on to Jake. It appeared that Jake didn’t need too much effort to restrain himself, seeing as he was holding on to his cousin with such force that he worried for Blake. The boy was thrashing and trying to get loose with such a ferocity that it surprised him.

            An answering snarl was released from Scarlett. “Just because you are a year older than me, does _not_ mean that you can tell me what to do. I am not some child Kenny.” She emphasized this with a stomp to her foot that made Harry doubt that statement. He was surprised that she was younger than Kenny but appeared to be older. It was like they were exact opposites. Kenny was shy and it was plainly obvious that this girl was not. While Kenny looked years younger than he really was.

            “If you want me to treat you like an adult then _act_ like it Scarlett! I know that you can see their bond as much as I can. It was idiotic to attempt to enthrall them. You _knew_ that they were immune to your abilities. Even if they weren’t, they are obviously a couple. Tearing apart a marriage just because you can, is despicable. Just because you are a succubus doesn’t mean that it is okay to feed off of _every_ man that tickles your fancy. Grow some self-control and grow the hell up.”

            Draco narrowed his eyes as anger filled the bond. Whether it was his own or Harry’s, it didn’t matter. How dare some stranger attempt to attract one of them into her snare?

            “Excuse me?” Harry said dangerously. He smirked internally at the way the girl stood frozen at the power radiating off of him. He may not have the darkness inside of him anymore but he sure learned some intimidation tactics from it.

            “Do you think love is just some game? Do you play with people just because you can?” He shook off Draco’s hold on him and stood up slowly. There was a whirlwind of air in the room that blew everything off the table.

            “Draco is _my_ husband. _My_ partner. _My_ lover. He is _mine,_ just as I am _his_. Not something for you dangle like some prize at the end of a stick. You _knew_ that we were soulmates and attempted to tear us apart anyways. I bet you would have stayed in the room and forced one of us to watch the other, being forced into your sexual web too. What is _wrong_ with you?”

            Draco settled his chin in his hands and watched the confrontation with interest. He loved it when Harry got possessive and angry on his behalf. It was _so_ intoxicating to see. He caught the disbelief in Kenny’s eyes for a moment and he wondered what was up with him.

            Harry wondered if he should tone it down but he couldn’t help but picture what could have happened if they weren’t soulmates. Would he have had to watch Draco be charmed into her abilities? Would he have had to watch his husband be with someone else? How could someone willingly be okay with tearing apart relationships like that?

            Scarlett raised her hands. “Alright! I am sorry!” She yelled with wide eyes.

            Harry narrowed his eyes at the insincere apology. He was positive that the girl would continue doing this to other people. He highly doubted that she had learned anything from this encounter. “I would watch what you do, one of these days you are going to piss off the wrong partner. They might not be like me. They might not leave you alive.” He warned before sitting back down into Draco’s waiting lap. He sighed contently as his lover’s arms wrapped around him.

            There was a silence that filled the room after his last statement. Harry was surprisingly not even embarrassed over his anger. You don’t mess with people just because you can. That was not okay. He would do it all over again, if he could.

            Kenny cleared his throat. “Fix this.” He demanded as he gestured to Blake and Joseph who were still struggling against their hold.

            Scarlett huffed before shrugging her shoulders. Draco watched curiously as Joseph stopped moving and glared daggers at her. He was intrigued by the sudden sadness he could see in Blake’s eyes. He wondered what was going on there.

            Scarlett turned to Peter and her eyes widened. “Kenny, what did you do?” She whispered. It was the first time that Harry and Draco had heard a hint of fear to her voice.

            Kenny straightened up and folded his arms across his chest defiantly. “I did nothing wrong. You can’t convince me otherwise.” He tipped his head up in the air, in a show of authority.

            “It’s not me that you have to convince. Father is going to kill you.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You can’t mate with him.”

            Peter snarled angrily at that. Draco was watching the exchange with barely concealed interest. This was just like the telly that Harry showed him. This was like the soap opera that he had seen when he accidentally hit the remote wand thingy. He didn’t understand what soap had to do with opera but the show wasn’t even about singing or personal hygiene. Just drama. This exchange was just like that. All it was missing now was a dead husband and someone in a coma.

            Kenny held a hand to Peter’s chest. “I already did Scar. I already did.” He whispered. “There is nothing father can do about it.”

            Scarlett covered her mouth with her hands. “You don’t even know what could happen to you! Vampires mate for life! If he bit you then who knows what that is going to do to you. What are you going to be, a half incubus-half vampire? That has never been done before! Are you going to feed off of blood or sexual desires? Father already told you that it is an abomination.”

            Kenny’s eyes filled with tears. “I refuse to think that my love is an abomination. I don’t care what it will make me. I will stay with Pyotr for the rest of my new long life.”

            Draco’s brows lifted into his hairline. An incubus being bitten by a vampire? He had never heard about that happening before. How intriguing. She raised a good point, would he feed off of blood or sexual desires? Or possibly both? This was turning out to be a very interesting experience.

            “He will disown you.” Scarlett told him firmly, it was a statement that booked no argument.

            Kenny smiled sadly. “You will make a great heir in my place.”

            Scarlett shook her head rapidly. “I don’t want it!” She argued. “You are the next in line to take over after father for chairman of the council. I can’t do it! I am not made for that life.”

            Draco’s mouth opened in shock. He looked to Kenny in surprise. The chairman of the Incubus and Succubus council was practically royalty in their culture. They were the leader of the whole race. The ones who decided what happened to their culture all over the world. He was surprised that the heir to the council was in Singapore, but then again, it did make sense. This was the only place that they could go to for complete freedom. Perhaps the council was here as well? Most people would be surprised that Kenny would throw away being the next chairman for love, but not Draco. He himself would do anything for Harry. So he could completely see putting love above anything else. He _was_ surprised that someone as shy as Kenny had been the next in line. He figured the chairman would have to be strong and resilient. He did suppose that Kenny had been a different person when confronting his sister.

            “I suggest you either prepare yourself to take over.” He paused to gauge her reaction before continuing. “Or, you can do what I did and choose your own path in life. I won’t allow someone else to tell me what I have to do. I won’t put our race before my own happiness. That might seem selfish but I don’t care. I love Pyotr.” He smiled at the vampire as he entwined their fingers. “I will do anything for him. That includes defying both of our councils.”

            Draco hummed in thought. That was a bold statement. The vampire council wasn’t anything to mess with either. He couldn’t imagine defying either council. Peter was an original, the council no doubt would want him to mate with another original, to ensure that there would be an offspring. To mate with an incubus must be a slap to the council’s face. Kenny was a full-blooded incubus, he would also be under pressure to mate with either another incubus or a succubus to ensure that their blood would continue into the next line. Would this union even bring a child? He wasn’t sure. A male incubus _can_ get pregnant. One of the few races that can without magical interferences. But an Original vampire only produces an offspring with another Original. If an Original couldn’t impregnate a bitten vampire than what chances could Kenny have at becoming pregnant? He wasn’t even sure how inter species mating would work with a pregnancy. If their union did produce a child then it would become the first ever hybrid of that type. The ramifications and the what ifs were making his head spin. He wasn’t even sure if all of this could happen. If Kenny and Peter weren’t careful, they could start a war between the two races. Magical beings already had to fight against prejudice from wizards, did they really need to fight against other magical beings too?

            Harry had learned quite a bit before coming here. He didn’t want to get confused or seem uneducated but the new twists to the conversation were throwing him for a loop. He knew what both the councils did and what they were for, but he didn’t see how Kenny or Peter were going to make it out of this one. They weren’t just going against one council, they were defying multiple. He wondered if that was why they were in the sanctuary in the first place. Neither council had any authority here. As long as Peter and Kenny stayed in the sanctuary, they were safe. This place was a safe zone. Neither council would want to uproot the sanctuary. It was too important to the Magical being culture.

            “I can’t do this.” Scarlett whispered. “I can’t be the one to take over. I won’t.” She told him in determination. “I will be gone for the next little while. I won’t be there when you tell father.” She warned before straightening up and turning towards the door. She paused at the entrance. “I love you, Kenny.” She had her back turned to him and therefore missed his small smile. “Be safe.” She whispered before she was gone.

            There was a slightly awkward silence that surrounded the room after her departure.

            “That was…” Joseph trailed off uncertainty.

            “Wicked.” Jake said with a shake to his head.

            “Horrid.” Blake retorted with a shudder.

            “Interesting.” Harry and Draco said in unison.

            “Unfortunate.” Peter mused.

            Kenny looked around at the different opinions in confusion. He sat down on his chair with a huff of air.

            Blake looked to his cousin with a frown. “How was that wicked?”

            Jake shook his head in disappointment. “Did you feel Harry’s power? That was so intense!” He retorted in obvious awe.

            Harry blushed when everyone looked to him.

            “It was rather impressive.” Peter mused with a calculating look to his eyes. Harry shifted slightly under the vampire’s gaze.

            “I’ll say!” Jake said in enthusiasm. “I have never seen Scarlett react like that!”

            Kenny rolled his eyes. Harry was amused to see that Kenny seemed to come out of his shell, to talk to them in a less shy way. It was interesting to see.

            Blake nodded his head stiffly. “No offense to you Kenny, but I hate your sister with a passion.”

            Draco arched a brow at the venom in his voice. He looked to Kenny to see if he was upset but was surprised to see compassion in his eyes.

            Blake saw Draco’s look and shook his head. “You were immune to her charms. I am not.” He said in a choked voice. “Not having control of your body enough to say ‘no’, is awful. Her abilities make your body want her but not necessarily your mind. It is two warring emotions and no matter how badly you fight it, your body wins out. The mind struggles so hard and it ends up being pointless. She can ensnare anyone that she wants with a simple flick of her hand and a release of pheromones.”

            Harry’s heart sank at the pain in Blake’s eyes. “She stopped it though.” He tried to make the boy feel better.

            Blake’s eyes filled with tears. “This time.” He whispered.

            Harry was seriously wishing he had reconsidered the leaving her alive part. He looked to Kenny as well. “Why is she allowed to do that to people?”

            Kenny sighed heavily. “Because of who our father is. She acts like that because she knows that she can get away with it. I am not making excuses for her. What she does is the _exact_ reason that we get a bad name. It is that type of behavior that started the Incubus wars. What she does is horrid and I absolutely abhor it, but there isn’t much I can do about it. The sanctuary has rules and unfortunately, she catches people on their way out. There isn’t much the sanctuary can do about it and my father doesn’t care what she does.” He shook his head angrily.

            “The council is as messed up as the rest of the world. I would love to tell you both how much we are all victims of a prejudiced world. That is true, but there is so much more to it. Pitting Magical beings against Wizards is too easy. The real problem isn’t as black and white as that picture paints it. There is so much grey that is involved, and not a good grey. There are people like me, who just want peace and wish that _all_ of our cultures could coexist in equality. Then there are people like my sister and father that use the problems of the world as a blanket excuse to do whatever they want. Magical beings are victims of prejudice but we are not _all_ innocent. The whole world is a giant mess and I have no idea how to fix it. I am not sure it is even possible.”

            Harry frowned as he thought about all of it. It was like finding out that the leaky hole in the roof was actually a giant gaping cavern. The prejudice of the world was _much_ worse than he had ever thought. It would be easier if there weren’t people like Scarlett making an already tough situation even tougher. With a leaky roof, you can plug it up or call in for back up, but who was going to help the magical beings? Was there some magical solution, a plug so to speak? There was no back up when it comes to fixing the whole world. He wanted to help, he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to be able to do _something_. Doing nothing had never been something that he could handle well. He had always stuck his nose in things where it didn’t belong. Always looking out for other people. That was the reckless Gryffindor in him. He hated listening to the suffering and not knowing how to help. He hated being essentially useless in a situation like this.

            Draco furrowed his brows at the helplessness in the bond. He tilted Harry’s head back so that he could look into his eyes. “Stop that, my love.” He chided firmly.

            Harry drooped in a form of defeat. He knew that what he was feeling was pointless. What could he even do? How was he supposed to help? It was just hard. Listening to someone else suffer struck a nerve in him. No one had been there for him when he was suffering at the Dursleys. He had to face prejudice and a form of child abuse at the hands of his relatives and there was no one to turn to and no one to talk to. This was a different circumstance but all of these people were suffering and no one was willing to help. The world knew what was happening but just didn’t care. The whole thing was making him sick to his stomach.

            “But Draco-” He stopped when Draco shook his head. He could feel the same feelings in the bond. Could feel the same anger and indignation, could feel the same horror and sadness. He knew that his husband wanted to help too.

            “I know, Harry. I know.” He whispered gently. Harry nodded his head before laying it back down on Draco’s shoulder. He gave him a soft kiss to his neck in silent gratitude. Draco closed his eyes for a moment before stroking his fingers through Harry’s hair. He looked up at Kenny apologetically. He furrowed his brows at the soft looks that everyone was giving them.

            “Your love.” Kenny explained with a sigh. “It is beautiful. I don’t know about them but I can feel some of your emotions.”

            Jake and Blake let out whines of disapproval at that. “That is _not_ fair! You get to see it _and_ feel it?” Blake said with a pout.

            Kenny huffed out in amusement at their disappointment. “Uh _hello_ , I am an incubus!” He reminded them. “Strong emotions are kind of the whole point. I can’t manipulate sexual desire without knowing the emotion itself. Desire stems from a lot of different emotions. Love. Anger. Melancholy. It all depends on the situation. An incubus can use those emotions to manipulate it into some form of desire. So if it is particularly strong, then I can feel it.” His tone of voice suggested that the cousins were being particularly thick.

            Draco blinked for a moment before narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “I am asking the obvious here, but if you can feel those emotions then you can definitely feel actual lust, can’t you?”

            Kenny let out a laugh. “Ohhh yeah.” There was pure mirth in his eyes and Draco was surprised at how much it changed the boy. It was like Kenny came to life, he could understand why Peter was so enamored with him. “Don’t think I didn’t feel your lust earlier.”

            Harry lifted his head and stared at Draco curiously. He couldn’t really remember any lust from Draco recently. The only time he hadn’t been paying attention to his lover’s emotions was when he was angry at Scarlett. He had been rather distracted at the time.

            Draco looked to Harry sheepishly. “You know I have a weakness for your power.” He wasn’t embarrassed to have been caught. Harry tried to stop his humor from bubbling up but he just couldn’t. His shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. **_‘It’s not the only thing you have a weakness for.’_** Harry whispered into his ear. He knew that it wasn’t the same as before Draco was able to understand parseltongue, but when Draco concentrated, he could hear the hissing through the language.

            Draco shuddered at the use of parseltongue. It just wasn’t fair. Even now that he could understand the words, just knowing that Harry using it was enough to get him going. **_‘I will get you back for that.’_ ** He warned darkly. It was a good thing that Harry was in his lap, otherwise things might have turned embarrassing. It was hard enough knowing that Kenny could feel their lust. They didn’t need to provide a show for them as well. That was a little too much voyeurism for him.

            Once Draco felt like he was reasonably controlled, he looked back up to the others. He snorted at their shocked gazes. “What is it this time?” He wondered. He was losing track of all of the times that they have shocked the group.

            “You two know parseltongue?” Joseph asked with wide eyes.

            Ahh. That would explain it. Draco hadn’t considered their advanced hearing at all when communicating with Harry. Back home it wasn’t a secret that Harry knew parseltongue, not that any of them here would know that. He supposed it wasn’t a big deal that they found out about him as well. Draco looked to Harry to see how he wanted to handle this. He only felt confidence in the bond and knew that meant Harry didn’t care either way.

            “Harry knew parseltongue and our bond made it possible for me to understand it as well.” He left out the finer details about their death being responsible for that. They didn’t need to know that.

            Harry nodded his head. To the rest of the room it would appear that he was just giving his agreement but to Draco, he was showing him that he was fine with that explanation. He didn’t think that the rest of them needed to know about their deaths. That wasn’t something that could be easily explained, nor was it any of their business.

            Peter tilted his head to the side. “I met a few wizards in my travels through Egypt that could speak the language.” He mused. “It is rather rare that someone from England would have the ability, seeing as it stems from Africa.” There was a polite suspicion in his tone. It was letting them know that he was mainly just curious. “Do you have ancestors from Africa by chance?”

            Harry shared a look with Draco. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to answer that one. It wasn’t something that he had ever been asked before.

            “I’ll take that as a no.” Peter mused in amusement. “That is alright. Keep your secrets. We all have them.”

            Harry shot him a relieved look. It was nice talking to someone like him. He has had his share of nosy people in his life, some were his former friends. Hermione never would have left something like that alone. It just showed him how much people could be different. He rather liked Peter. The man had a respectable attitude to him that Harry had never come across before. 

            “I think it is wicked.” Jake told them as his cousin nodded his agreement. “You both are full of surprises.”

            Harry sent amusement through the bond towards Draco. If only they knew.

            “So what else can you guys do as soulmates?” Joseph asked curiously. “Is it like the myths say?”

            Draco had no idea what the myths said about soulmates. He hadn’t even beware of soulmates until his parents told him. The books about them were factual, so myths wouldn’t be in them.

            “We can feel each other’s emotions.” Harry supplied helpfully. “That is about it.” He said with a laugh at their disappointed frowns.

            “That’s it?” Jake whined. “I was hoping that soulmates would share more than just emotions.”

            Blake furrowed his brows. “Like _all_ of your emotions?”

            Draco made a noise of confirmation. “Every single emotion and all the time.”

            Every one of their faces was one of distaste.

            “Oh no.” They all said at once before shooting amused glances all around.

            “That would not work for me.” Joseph uttered.

            Harry let out a laugh. “Why?” He wondered. “Have something to hide?”

            Joseph shrugged sheepishly. “Possibly.” He admitted. “I would just like my own sense of privacy. Soulmates already share pieces of themselves in the other. Do they really have to share all their emotions too? Doesn’t that get tiring knowing what the other one is feeling?”

            Draco tilted his head to the side as he considered the questions. “Privacy isn’t something that I desire.” He looked to Harry and caught the nod of agreement. “Our bond is a presence inside of me that is always thrumming. I am aware of Harry at all times. I know what he is feeling, whether he is alright or if he is doing okay. The bond works even if we are separated. If there is a problem then I know it instantly. Privacy might have been something that I would have wanted if we weren’t soulmates.” He wasn’t too sure about that though. He adored spending time with Harry.

            “When you feel the other person’s emotions, it makes things easier. There aren’t fights over silly things or even misunderstandings. Sometimes in relationships people will forgive just to stop an argument, or to make things easier. Then the next time you fight, it tends to be blown out of proportion because you are really fighting about a lot more than the current fight. If there is a problem, then we know about it instantly. Hurt feelings are soothed immediately and our love is _always_ front and center in the bond. I feel Harry’s love for me constantly. There isn’t a single moment where I don’t know how much I mean to him.” Draco paused to send Harry a warm comforting rush of affection.

            “It might seem like it would be too much but I love it. I love knowing what Harry is feeling. He has such a wide variety emotions and it is comforting to be able to just know that things are okay. The benefits of the bond far outweigh any missing privacy, but to be honest, I don’t even miss the privacy. I would give it up in a heartbeat.”

            Harry sighed rather besottedly. He was over the moon for his husband. Draco just got sweeter and sweeter. He felt the exact same way. Most people would probably hate the constant emotions, never being able to have a private moment to one’s self. From the beginning, Harry had loved it. Knowing that his lover felt the same way, was nice to hear. He turned his head to the side and kissed Draco’s cheek gently. “I love you.”

            Draco held Harry to him tightly as he felt the bond thrum in happiness. “I love you too, angel.”

            Kenny sighed. “Too cute.” Peter rolled his eyes at his partner.

            “So, was it like love at first sight? Did you see each other and just know that you were meant to be together?” Kenny asked with a silly grin.

            Harry and Draco busted out laughing. Harry clutched his stomach as the force of his laughter started hurting his sides.

            “Oh god.” Draco wheezed out through his giggles.

            Harry could see their confusion and it just made him laugh harder.

            “I fail to see the humor in the question.” Peter’s confused tone piped up.

            “Sorry.” Harry gasped out as he gained control of himself. “It’s just that it was the complete opposite. We hated each other.”

            Draco could see the surprise in their faces and he shook his head in amusement. The statement wasn’t exactly the truth. They had met in their first life and had hit it off instantly. Dracott had fallen for Harland almost as soon as he had met him. Noah ran into Ethan literally and loved the boy with sparkling green eyes before he even knew a name. They didn’t know about that, so they could only go off of this life. So, Harry’s statement was sort of the truth.

            “But I thought soulmates would have some powerful connection right away.” Blake pouted pitifully.

            Draco shrugged. “I can’t speak for any other soulmates. I can only tell you what it was like for us. Harry and I…” He trailed off not entirely sure how much to tell them. “You have heard about the war in England, right?”

            When they nodded their heads, Draco continued. “My father was a deatheater.” At their confused faces, he sighed heavily. “A follower of Voldemort.”

            “Ahh.” The rest of them made noises of understanding.

            “I heard that Voldemort was a snake. Is that true?” Jake asked curiously. Harry was slightly surprised at the use of the man’s name but he supposed that people who weren’t raised to fear the name, wouldn’t think anything of it.

            Harry snorted. He could see why people might think that. “No. He wasn’t. Well…” He paused as he thought back to the ritual that had brought the man back to life. Parts of Nagini had been added, her venom. That might have made part of his blood snakelike. “No, he was not a snake.” Harry told him firmly. “Just did a ritual that involved a snake. Made some of his features snakelike.”

            “How disturbing.” Peter sneered.

            “Wicked.” Jakes whispered.

            The two looked at each other in disbelief. “How can you say that?” Jake asked Peter with a frown. “I think that it is intriguing.”

            Peter sighed heavily. “Sometimes I question your sanity.”

            Jake grinned widely. “Ahh, then that means I am doing good. We both know that you are far too serious.” Peter shook his head and looked back to Harry and Draco. “Please continue.”

            Draco chuckled at the disgruntled look on Jake’s face. “So, my father was a follower. Harry here…” He paused to grin at his soulmate. “He was the complete opposite of my family. Harry was purely a light wizard. I tried to become his friend but I was a total git when I introduced myself.” He sighed at the failed formal greeting. He still partially blamed Weasley for that.

            “He turned down my friendship and we became enemies from that moment on.” Draco shook his head as he remembered some of their encounters at Hogwarts. The duels. The taunts. The name calling. He had been a right bully. He was amazed that Harry had been able to look past all of that.

            “We were rivals for 7 years. I had to make some decisions to save my family. I ended up becoming a deatheater.” Draco stopped to gauge their reaction. He didn’t see any suspicion or disgust, only curiosity.

            Joseph smiled at Draco. “We aren’t judgmental people. When you are constantly looked down upon for things that no one understands, you start to see things in a different light. You must’ve had your own reasons. We aren’t going to dislike you on matters that we can’t even begin to understand.”

            Harry looked to them all gratefully. He wished that people back home thought like this too. It would make life so much easier. He could feel relief in the bond but he could tell that Draco was overwhelmed. He cleared his throat and took over the story.

            “We were on opposite sides of the war. War puts everything into perspective. A school boy rivalry was nothing compared to a war. People dying, that mattered. After the war, Draco approached me to apologize for the way he had treated me. It wasn’t hard at all to see past our past. The dead had just been buried, that to me was important. Forgiving Draco was a million times easier than the prospect of going to anyone’s funeral. Like I said, a school boy rivalry was nothing on the scale of important things. I wasn’t going to hold a grudge against him. I suppose that I could have, but what would have been the point? I would have spent my whole life hating him for the things that happened when I was in school. Life moves on, it was either be hateful or grow up. I chose to forgive him. It was one of the easiest and best decisions of my life.”

            Harry smiled at Draco, he leaned down to press a kiss against the tip of his nose. “It is kind of funny, even when we were enemies, I was always aware of him. There was _something_ about Draco that demanded my attention. Then, I just chalked it up to him being suspicious. Only now do I understand it. We were enemies turned friends, who fell in love.”

            Draco kissed Harry’s shoulder as he pushed him love through the bond. He looked to the rest of the group. “Your soulmate can be anyone in the entire world. Even someone you think you can’t stand.”

            Blake groaned. “But I hate everyone. I am so fucked.” He threw his hands up in the air when everyone broke out into laughter.

            Jake tilted his head as he stared at them. Harry arched a brow when the boy’s stare turned calculating. “This sounds so familiar. Not the soulmate bit… but the rest of it…” His eyes lit up, but before anyone could ask him what he was talking about, he ran out of the room.

            “Uhh.” Draco said uncertainly. He wondered what that had been about.

            As quickly as he had left, Jake came bursting back into the room clutching a magazine. Harry thought it looked like a tabloid magazine that muggles had in grocery stores.

            Blake looked at his cousin in distaste. “Why do you even read that thing? You know it is full of trash that is all made up.”

            Jake rolled his eyes. “It is the _Global Enquirer_ Blake. They give news from all over the world. Some of it might be… far-fetched.” He admitted grudgingly. “But there is some truth to it!” He argued hotly.

            Blake opened his mouth to probably argue back but was cut off by a triumphant noise. “I knew it! I knew it sounded familiar.” He threw the magazine down on the table.

            Everyone leaned forward to see what Jake had been so excited about.

            Harry blinked in shock to see his and Draco’s faces looking up at them from the article. The photo was one of them from right after the Malfoy trial. The only picture they had ever been photographed together, and it hadn’t even been by choice either. They hadn’t even done any photographs for the Quibbler.

            _‘Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, marries notorious deatheater Malfoy. Some say it was a love potion. Others site true love. Is Malfoy getting revenge on the boy who got rid of The Dark Lord? Or is this just an example of true love conquering all?’_

Draco narrowed his eyes when he read the caption. Figures that they would assume that he was just using Harry for some form of revenge. He would love to hex the silly reporters that write this garbage.

            Harry skimmed over the article with interest. “They are just using the interview we gave Xenophilius.” He rolled his eyes at the typical tactic. He wondered if that was infringing on some copy right laws. Or perhaps Luna’s father sold the article? He didn’t care what the man did when it came to the article. He was surprised that they had made an entry into a global magical magazine though.

            “Oh look.” Harry said in amusement as he pointed to a point in the article. “They think I am pregnant.” He snorted at that. ‘ _Potter hasn’t been seen since the trial of the Malfoy family. Sources close to the savior have given their assurances that Potter must have used a potion to ensure pregnancy. St. Mungos refuses to give details of the list of patients that are to take part of the experimental potion, Peurdicium. The potion is said to be able to temporarily allow a male to grow a womb to carry a child to full term.’_ Harry sighed heavily. He wasn’t even surprised that the minds of reporters could come up with this stuff. It was a lack of imagination, really.

            Draco scoffed. “Love, look further down.” He pointed viciously at the rest of the article.

            _‘Sources have sighted that Potter might have been a victim of foul play. The Malfoy family has always been involved in the Dark Arts. Experts have said that it would only have taken seconds for Potter to get trapped in a love potion. If that is the case, then Potter wouldn’t even fight his treatment. Members of the Law Enforcement Department refuse to answer any questions regarding the whereabouts of Potter, or if there is even an open case on finding him. We can only hope that if foul play is involved, that Potter remains strong.’_

Harry glared at the paper so hard that Draco worried it would catch fire. He rubbed his husband’s arms gently, trying to soothe him. Harry huffed at that, it should be him doing the comforting, not the other way around.

            “It isn’t right! They don’t know what they are talking about.” Harry absolutely hated that one of the first things that they think of, is that Draco must have harmed him or duped him into the marriage. Couldn’t they just take his interview at face value? Draco was the love of his life, why couldn’t they see that?

            Draco smiled at the anger that he could feel from his lover. “I know, love.”

            “They are mindless idiots.” Harry slammed his hand down on the table.

            “I know.”

            “I bet Skeeter had something to do with this.” Harry growled. It sounded just like the shite she would spew.

            “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

            “I hate them. I would love to take their quills and shove them up their arses.”

            “I know.” Draco said in amusement, he could clearly see the mental picture that Harry was painting.

            “Your father is going to be pissed.”

            “I know.” Draco smirked ferally at that. He hoped his father was giving the papers a run for their money. By the time they got back, his bet was that his father would have no doubt bought a paper to write his rebuttals.

            “I guarantee Kreacher is having to put up with reporters at our door.”

            “I agree.” Draco had given Kreacher permission ages ago to allow him free reign when it came to the reporters.

            “You know he is going to go too far in repelling them away.” Harry told him with a smirk. He could picture the elf defending them heatedly, with household items, most likely.

            “Merlin, I hope so.”

            “We will most likely have complaints against us about him. I wouldn’t be surprised if they say that we have an uncontrollable house elf in our home.”

            Draco frowned. “I would just like to see them attempt to take Kreacher away from us.” He growled with narrowed eyes.

            Harry smiled sweetly at his husband before sighing heavily. “We are going to have a giant mess when our honeymoon is over.”

            “I know.” Draco told him with his own sigh. He wasn’t looking forward to that at all. “But we still have weeks before we have to deal with any of this.” He gestured towards the stupid magazine. “We will just ignore this rubbish and enjoy our time away from all of it.”

            It was Harry’s turn to let out an, “I know.” He rested his forehead against Dracos.

            “You are _Harry Potter_?” Harry jumped a little. He had kind of forgotten that they were all there.

            Harry looked at Jake, who had been the one to speak. “Harry Malfoy, now.” He told him proudly.

            Blake seemed a little lost. “I haven’t ever heard of you.” He admitted with an apology, Kenny nodded his agreement.

            “I have.” Joseph, Jake and Peter said in unison.

            Harry wondered how it was that they knew of him. He supposed that it was probably books. He didn’t think that his name would be something that was known worldwide.

            “I only know you because of the articles.” Jake told him with a slight apology. “You have been mentioned quite a bit over the years.”

            Harry glared at the magazine. He didn’t even want to know what the past articles had mentioned. He looked to Peter and Joseph curiously.

            “My council.” They said in unison.

            Draco arched his brows in surprise. “Both of your councils knew of Harry?” He wondered why Kenny didn’t know of Harry then.

            Harry frowned. He hadn’t learned too much about the werewolf council other than that they were practically in shambles. There wasn’t much order to the werewolf council. Not like there was with the Vampire council.

            “Voldemort approached both of our councils. He wanted to join forces for his war.”

            Harry dropped his mouth in shock. That was something he had not known. Draco didn’t seem too surprised, he looked to the blonde curiously.

            Draco shrugged. “He had Greyback on his side. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had approached the council.”

            Joseph scoffed. “Greyback _defied_ the council!” He growled out angrily. “The council told him that we were not going to align with Voldemort. Werewolves already have a hard-enough time as it is, involving us in the affairs of humans would have been a bad idea. Greyback ignored the ruling of the council and did what he wanted. His actions have made us appear in a bad light. Which is something we were already in! He has set back years of progress! Since then, we have packs in England being _slaughtered!_ ”

            Harry and Draco exchanged startled looks. They haven’t heard anything of the sort. “Why has there been no coverage of this?” Harry demanded to know.

            Joseph let out a bitter chuckle. “Your government doesn’t deem the deaths of Werewolves as important. Most of Greyback’s men died in the war. The werewolves they are killing are innocent! There has been coverage of the deaths. Just not any by your Ministry.”

            The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Jake pulled out a newspaper that they had been using to put their wood sculptures on. It was the front pages of the local Singapore newspaper.

            _‘Another Twenty Werewolves dead. Does the British Ministry not care about the lives of their own citizens?’_

            Harry covered his mouth at the brutal picture of a dead werewolf child. The poor boy couldn’t have been older than five. The word ‘Animal’ had been carved into the skin. Harry looked to Draco. “Do you think Remus knows? We have to tell him to be careful!”

            Draco was already making plans to firecall Remus as soon as they got back to their suite. He couldn’t believe that the Ministry was covering up the deaths of Werewolves! This went _way_ past prejudice. To think that they wouldn’t think that murders were worth being reported about, was just horrid. “Don’t worry. We will tell him.” He rubbed his hand up and down Harry’s back.

            “I don’t know what happened to Greyback.” Harry told Joseph when he had controlled his concern for Remus.

            Joseph grinned widely. “The council eliminated him. He had posed a threat for quite some time, him aligning with Voldemort had been the last straw. He ran from your government when the war was over but he did not outrun us.” There was pride in his voice.

            Harry wasn’t sure what to think about that. The man deserved to pay for his crimes but was death really the answer?

            Draco rolled his eyes at the feelings in the bond. As far as he was concerned, Greyback deserved death. Harry didn’t have to house the werewolf during the war. Greyback was a horrid. He shuddered just thinking about the man. The werewolf had watched anyone underage with beady eyes. The werewolf had made it his mission in life to bite as many people as he could, especially children. There was an obsession with children, it always made him anxious to be around the man.

            Peter cleared his throat. “My council also refused to join the man. We do not have many vampires in England. No one dared to go against the council’s ruling. Not that anyone would have to begin with. We don’t get involved in human issues. Voldemort didn’t pose a threat to us, so we didn’t care.”

            Draco snorted. It was selfish but completely understandable. He wouldn’t have wanted to get involved either. It wasn’t like the human population had given the vampires any reason to fight.

            Harry tilted his head to the side. “But how does you disagreeing to take part of Voldemort’s plan mean that you know of me?”

            Peter scoffed. “We looked into his claims and his plans. Not to mention the man’s whole plan was getting rid of you. There really was no plan other than that.” He rolled his eyes. “It just proved to us that he was single minded in his plan to take over.”

            Joseph nodded his head in agreement. “It was the same with us. There was nothing concrete to his plans. It was a weak case that he presented.”

            Draco hummed in thought. He wondered if Voldemort had presented a legit case, if that would have made a difference. Things might have gone horribly wrong if the vampires and more werewolves had joined the fight. The light side would have been completely screwed. Draco could tell that his husband had come to the same conclusion, if the tense shoulders were anything to go by.

            Harry leaned forward to press his palms underneath his chin. “This is a lot to take in.” He admitted.

            Jake interrupted. “I still can’t get over that you are Harry Potter!”

            Harry shook his head at the impressed tone. “Not you too Jake. Not you too.” He sighed. “I am not as special as they make me seem in the papers. I was just targeted by a madman and managed to kill him. And it is Harry Malfoy.” He corrected.

            Draco rolled his eyes at Harry’s statement. “You sell yourself too short, my love.”

            Harry shrugged. “We have a difference of opinion when it comes to that.”

            Jake looked to Draco. “Can I see it?” He asked in excitement.

            Draco furrowed his brows in confusion. “See what?” He wasn’t used to people looking at him in the same excitement that they did to Harry.

            “Your dark mark!”

            Harry snorted at the pure shock in the bond. His mouth was twitching, it was _finally_ his lovers turn to experience unwanted attention.

            Draco was positive that he had just been confunded. Why would anyone _want_ to look at the dark mark? The damn thing was proof of his mistakes. The mark was a negative aspect to his life, but yet Jake was looking forward to seeing it?

            He held out his left arm despite his reservations. He smiled at the gasps everyone let out. His left arm was completely unrecognizable. The colors of their wedding ritual were still etched into his skin. The bright colors were an intricate design of twists and colors. The blue, red, yellow and green were wrapped around his entire arm in a show of art. He thought it was beautiful, he hoped it would take years before the colors faded. His dark mark was still there but it wasn’t the first thing that caught people’s eyes. It was hard to see the mark, actually.

            “The article had been correct.” Peter stated with surprise. “You actually got married in an _in perpetuum simul_ ceremony.” There was a longing to his tone that made Harry’s heart break for the man. This was something that Peter couldn’t do even if he wanted to. The vampire would live forever, there was no point in tying his life to someone for the afterlife when that was something he wouldn’t be granted.

            Harry showed them his left arm as well. The colors were just as bright as Draco’s and just as beautiful. “We did. We wanted to ensure that every life after this one, would be spent together.”

            Kenny swallowed heavily. “Is that something you believe in? Reincarnation?”

            Draco was thankful for his gift of masking emotions, otherwise his humor might have shown on his face.

            Harry had to pinch himself discreetly to stop from reacting. “Mhm.” Harry didn’t trust his voice to say more than that.

            Kenny narrowed his eyes. Draco was positive that he was picking up something from them. “We really do believe in reincarnation.” There was a finality to his tone that made the others in the room sit up straighter.

            “You know something that we don’t.” Joseph accused with a pout.

            Harry laughed warmly. “I am sure that is something that goes both ways.” He pointed out dryly. “We _know_ that it exists. We won’t disclose how we know this, we just do.”

            Peter made a thoughtful noise. “That is interesting. Scholars have debated for centuries about the existence of reincarnation. There is no evidence proving or disproving the theory. So, I am quite curious as to what you two have discovered that would differ to what experts have come up with.”

            There was suspicion to his tone and Draco knew that they would have to be careful with what they said. “Well, it is a good thing that we aren’t disclosing what we know.” He told him firmly. This wasn’t something that they were going to talk about. They hadn’t even wanted to tell their own family about the past lives. It was too personal and too private to be discussed. Especially with strangers, no matter how much they liked them.

            Peter sighed in disappointment. “Alright. That is your prerogative.” He admitted with a frown.

            Harry gave him a relieved smile. He wouldn’t have told them about their past lives either. He was glad that Peter was able to let things go.

            A bell sounded off in the distance. Draco looked around, slightly startled.

            “That was the ending bell. Certain parts of the sanctuary are now closed.” Kenny told them with a regretful tone. “Is there a way you both will be able to come back tomorrow?”

            Draco felt out the feelings in the bond as he looked to Harry. They did have a lot of other places around the world that they wanted to see. They had already spent a couple days in Singapore. Harry tilted his head slightly, letting Draco know that it was up to him to decide.

            Draco smiled to the rest of the boys. “We can stick around one more day.” He promised them.     

            Five relieved whoops were heard around the room. Harry smiled at the five new strangers that he was beginning to call friends. He rather liked the group of boys. They were all so different but very welcoming.

            Draco tapped Harry on his side, to indicate that they should get up. “Well, we shall see you all here tomorrow.” They said their goodbyes and made their way towards the door. “Want to walk around the aviary some more? We can see if we can upset some more rude old ladies?”

            Harry laughed loudly. “Only if you protect me from the vines. My private bits are for your enjoyment only.”

            “Damn right.” Draco told him firmly as they swung their hands back and forth. As they shut the door, they both heard Kenny say, “I rather liked them.”

            They both smiled. The feeling had been mutual. If they got nothing else out of Singapore, at least they made five new friends. Friends that they could see sticking around in their lives for a long time.


	2. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I debated about doing this chapter but I needed to. This chapter sets up some aspects that will be happening AFTER the honeymoon. I know it is rude and mean to tease you with what is happening at Hogwarts but it was needed. :P Sorry!... mostly. xD

            Remus was pacing in front of the fireplace of Severus’s quarters. He had thought that coming back to Hogwarts to fill in for Madam Pince would be easy and carefree. He did not think that it would turn out quite like this. He had half a mind to quit but he **_refused_ ** to leave Severus here alone. The school board of governors had been accommodating in allowing him to have Teddy live in the school with him. That _might_ have had something to do with Lucius being reinstated as a school governor. There was a teeny tiny part of his Gryffindor sensibilities that didn’t want special treatment because he was family with the Malfoys, but there was a giant cavern of his lover’s Slytherin side inside of him that was telling him to shut up and accept it.

            Things had been great _before_ they really settled in. Finishing out Severus’s last year as a teacher together had this sentimentality to it that struck him as sweet. Being together like this showed them both what it would be like if they actually lived together. Remus only used his quarters for show, they both agreed not to disclose their personal life until after the school year. Personal relationships tend to be the topic of gossip and the children didn’t need to know about their teacher’s affairs. So no one knew that they were together, although everyone might suspect something was going on. Especially considering that they sat together for every meal and always talked. There wasn’t a rivalry or a disaccord that had once been there when he taught nearly five years ago.

            Living with Severus wasn’t the problem. Oh no. The man was wonderful and great with Teddy. They may not have been together for very long, but Remus loved him with a ferocity that surprised him. He would die for Severus in a heartbeat and take anyone down who threatened their peace. Severus was the only highlight to his day; besides the moments he spends with Teddy, that is. The time they spent as a family were precious to him, and he cherished every single one of them.

            The real reason he was wearing a hole into the carpet was prejudice. Prejudice was a word that Remus knew since the moment he had been bitten. He had never considered privilege a real thing. He had only been a child at the time, but still. People assume that others make their hard times much worse than it really is. What they don’t understand, is that when you can walk into a room without receiving glares and snotty attitudes, that is privilege. When you can go out into society and not hear a derogatory mark, that is privilege. When you are offered a job with a _fair_ salary, that is privilege. When you can go out to eat and not be asked to leave, that is privilege. All of this was something that he understood very well. He had learned at a young age, that life was a total bitch and that some people just got the unlucky straw. He was unfortunately one of those people. Not having the privilege that others had sucked, but it was something that he had gotten used to.

            But this… this was different. This was hard for him to understand. This was something that didn’t even make sense. He hadn’t quite encountered something like this before. He still received the glares and the looks for being a werewolf. That was typical. What wasn’t typical was the prejudice that he has witnessed since arriving for the new year. Remus had been here for not more than four days and he was already tempted to throw in the towel.

            It was hard walking into a room and _not_ being the person that hate and prejudice was being directed at. No. Oh no. For one of the first times in his life, Remus was witnessing prejudice from human to human. The wizarding world differed from the muggle in so many ways. In the muggle world, there were people who discriminated against color and religion. This was not something that is done in the wizarding world. That had always struck him as odd. Why is the color of one’s skin important? Does skin color determine importance or significance? No. So why do muggles discriminate others for color? Or even for religion?

            What was happening now, reminded him of the muggles in a way. The prejudice and discrimination he was witnessing was against anyone in Slytherin...

            It sounded silly in his own head. He supposed he should have seen this coming but to be honest, he hadn’t. The ferocity of the hate was astounding. In four measly days, he has separated over fifty fights. People were blaming the Slytherins for the war. Childish opinions were the cause of was the childish fights. Not a single instance had a Slytherin even been the first to draw a wand. Nope. The number of Slytherins that had returned after the war was small. Less than half of what there should have been. To be honest that hadn’t surprised him. Why would they want to return and be subjected to this level of prejudice?

            The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin in the past, was nothing compared to what was happening now. It was the three houses against one. Even the Hufflepuffs were causing issues. The whole thing was unfathomable. How could they blame other children for a war that had nothing to do with them? The Slytherins that were here had absolutely no fault in what caused the war. You cannot blame the children for the sins of their parents. What was so hard about that? Why couldn’t that stick?

            The sorting hat had placed two children in Slytherin, an all-time low record since the school had been founded… and both children had burst into tears, begging to be placed somewhere else. Meals were tense, most Slytherins not even showing up. When they traveled through the castle, it was _always_ in groups of four or five. The older Slytherins missed the beginning half of classes just to ensure that the younger kids made it to class safely. The fights were _horrible._ It put a new spin on the phrase, ‘bloody.’ These children were at least 10-20 James and Sirius’s piled into one, when it came to a hatred of Slytherin. It blew his mind that things had turned like this. Parts of the war weren’t even this heated.

            It wouldn’t be so bad if they could just nip this attitude in the butt. That would be a normal thought process, but no… oh no… the teachers were fucking incompetent. Prejudice wasn’t something that he had really stopped to think about, outside of magical creature issues. He had known that some people didn’t like Slytherins but he didn’t really stop to consider that it could get like this. It was his own ignorance that brought this upon. Had he been such a victim to himself, that he was so blind sighted to think that prejudice happened to non-magical creatures as well? He really thought it was a minority of things. What did that say about him, that all of this shocked him to his core?

            Prejudice and discrimination had flooded the entire school and even the staff. There were only a handful of teachers that weren’t. Severus and he, were included in that tiny number… Hagrid and Flitwick were the only other ones that seemed to have a decent bone in their bodies. If he had thought that he would gain a helping hand in the headmaster, Minerva, he was sorely mistaken. He had witnessed her walk right past a seventh year Ravenclaw bullying a third year Slytherin, without even batting an eye. There were hardly any detentions being handed out to people outside of Slytherin. It was the most blatant version of victim shaming that he had ever seen. Some students were being _punished_ with detentions for defending themselves, while the attackers were let off with a warning.

            A warning? It was a joke. There wasn’t much he could do. He needed witnesses and corroboration to back up any charges. Only problem was that he himself was a werewolf and deemed not ‘credible’ in court. Severus was an ex-deatheater, Hagrid was a half-giant and Flitwick had goblin ancestry in his blood. All four of them weren’t people that the Wizengamot would take seriously. If only they could get more teachers on their behalf, then things might be different. If they could get _any_ decent human being to stand up, then things might be easier. The students were swearing up and down that the Slytherins were starting the fights when they weren’t. It was their word against the Slytherins. Remus didn’t have to be a genius to know how that would go down in court.

            He had tried once to talk to Minerva about what was happening but she just waved away his concerns. _‘They are just venting off their frustrations. It is harmless. The war affected all of us.’_ Remus ended up storming out, he hasn’t talked to her since. Harmless? The Slytherins were being hunted and bullied. Several families already pulled out their children. If the goal was to drive every Slytherin out of the school then the students were doing just that. It would be a miracle if by the end of the year, if there were _any_ Slytherins left.

            Severus had been telling him that they needed to get Harry and Draco involved but Remus wasn’t sure what that would do. Harry and Draco were only eighteen. What could they do to help when not even Lucius was able to get the rest of the governors to step up. Lucius had most of their attention but they needed more than four people to speak up before they could intervene. Not to mention, that he just didn’t want to ruin Harry and Draco’s honeymoon. What was happening, wasn’t something that could be fixed quickly. Even if the boys came back early, the problem would be a battle to fix. He wanted Harry and Draco to enjoy the only free time they have had in a long time. They both deserved the time away from here.

            This different form of prejudice was something else. He knew it was different for Flitwick and Hagrid too, all three of them were used to being the ones judged. Severus though, was all too used to this kind of thing. His lover had been facing this kind of prejudice for years. He wished he knew what he could do to help. He wished that there was something that he could do. He only had control of the library, and let’s face it, what idiot is stupid enough to start a fight in the library? Hardly anyone. He had to stop some heated arguments but nothing as bad as a duel. Severus hadn’t had any outbursts in his classroom, but that wasn’t surprising. The day someone willingly starts mayhem in Severus’s class, will be the day they most likely die a slow and painful death. Those had been his lover’s exact words when approached about the topic.

            The hallways were free game to interfere. Most students learned by now which teachers to avoid performing magic around. Which was idiotic since magic wasn’t even allowed in the corridors to begin with. Why the other teachers were turning a blind eye, was beyond him. Both Remus and Severus managed to wrangle dozens of children in the halls for their fights and use of magic but it wasn’t enough to stop the bullying going on elsewhere. The children were smart enough to realize that if they just waited a little longer, than Severus and Remus couldn’t do anything about it.

            The Gryffindors were some of the worst ones. It didn’t surprise Severus but it did surprise him. He couldn’t believe members of his own house were behaving in such a manner. What kind of pride or bravery is there in bullying others? What kind of courage can be gained from attacking innocent people? None. It was downright stupid and cowardice of all the ones performing the acts. He had tried talking to the new Transfiguration teacher, the one who was now the head of Gryffindor house. Mathew Jameson. Only problem was the man refused to even talk to him. Not just about his Gryffindors, about everything. The man just wouldn’t speak to him, he actually wouldn’t even look at him. There was a scent of fear in the air any time Remus was in the same room as the teacher. Some people hated werewolves, some feared them and some didn’t seem to mind either way. Jameson was in the afraid category. If things weren’t so tense, he probably would have pitied the teacher. The poor idiot looked positively petrified when Remus even looked towards the man. Severus found the whole thing amusing, which annoyed him. It wasn’t funny, they needed to speak to Jameson but the coward couldn’t even look a fellow colleague in the eye.

            So, he had volunteered his lover to speak to the new teacher. That didn’t go over well at all. Jameson had been so frightened of Severus, that he ended up knocking over two platters full of eggs on Professor Flitwick. Remus knew that Severus had an intimidating aura to him, but that couldn’t even be blamed this time. His partner had been very calm and spoke to the man in a neutral tone. One of his best, if Remus had to judge. He honestly had no idea why Minerva would have hired Jameson at all. Surely there had to be _someone_ out there who could do a better job. Hell, _anyone_ would work. Although, he supposed he was judging a little unfairly. Remus had no idea how the man was in the classroom, he could be a completely competent teacher for all he knew. He would have to ask Pansy or Blaise about that.

            Jameson was nothing compared to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, though. Charlotte Williams. The woman treated Remus as if he was out to steal her job. No matter how many times he stressed that he didn’t want to be a teacher and that he was only filling in as a temporary replacement for Madam Pince, she still treated him like he was some kind of thief. A job thief. He snorted at that. Now, she was hinting that she was chosen over him because she was _better_ than the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. He could care less if that was even true, all that mattered was that the students were learning. He smirked when he remembered Severus’s reaction to her statement. His partner had loudly pointed out, that the only year in the last decade that students performed well in exams, had been when Remus had taught them. Which hadn’t been entirely true. When Severus taught the class, the students learned well enough. It had actually come pretty close.

            It wasn’t just her unfounded beliefs over his capabilities that were bothering him. It was the way that she encouraged the behavior of the students that were harassing the Slytherins. She didn’t openly say anything but anytime she witnessed a fight or an argument, she would _always_ find some way to give that child house points later on in the day. Some were ridiculous too. She had awarded one Hufflepuff 10 points for saying her name correctly. Or another 10 points for asking how her day had gone. It was the weakest disguise of encouragement he had ever seen. Which naturally, the students picked up on. With Minerva already refusing to see what was happening, now the two new teachers were horrid in their duties. The school year was doomed for failure. Remus just hoped that they would make it to the end of the year with the Slytherins all intact.

            A whirring of the fire caused his restless pacing to stop. He had been hoping that Severus would be done with his patrol by now. They both had been ‘assigned’ extra duties when the other teachers complained that Severus and Remus were putting too many children in detentions. No one could interfere with the detentions but this was a backhanded tactic to get them to stop. Well that wouldn’t be happening. He didn’t care if he had extra duties every night for the rest of the year, he would not stop the detentions. It was the only thing they could do for the situation.

            He checked the monitoring spells on Teddy, making sure a firecall wouldn’t interrupt his son’s sleep. He wondered who would be calling Severus at a time like this. It wasn’t like his lover was particularly social.

            Remus looked into the fire and smiled for the first time in a while. “Harry.” He breathed out. He was torn between wanting to talk to him and wanting to end the firecall as quickly as he could. He knew that if the conversation lasted too long, that he might slip and tell Harry what was going on here.

            “Remus.” Remus frowned at the relief in his tone. Was something the matter? He hadn’t heard Harry say his name in that tone of voice other than right after the war, when Harry had seen that he had survived.

            “Are you alright?” He asked in concern. “Is everything okay? Is Draco alright?”

            Harry smiled at the concern in Remus’s voice. It took everything that he had to not want to rush home and squeeze the man. After reading the article about the deaths of the werewolves, he had been imagining the worst. He was kneeling on the ground, with Draco right next to him. The blonde was tucked into his side but out of view of Remus’s line of sight. His husband had eaten _way_ too much junk food at the aviary last night and was not feeling the best. He had tried to convince Draco to stay in the bed while he talked to Remus but Draco insisted on being there. Why? He had no idea, considering that Draco was fast asleep. He kissed the top of his sick husband’s head. He would look into making some potions for him later. He winced when he thought about how that would turn out. The mechanics behind a potion weren’t the problem, it was making them. He just hoped that his disastrous skills at brewing wouldn’t harm Draco. The last thing he wanted was to cause his soulmate more pain.

            Harry quickly looked back to Remus. “We are both fine.” He assured him. He was honestly a little surprised that Remus was still up. Singapore was seven hours ahead of them. It was nearing midnight in England.

            Remus let out a relieved breath. “You are up rather early, what is it seven?” He couldn’t really remember Harry being much of a morning person. He knew that Draco sure wasn’t. The few times Draco had to be at the Manor early for their research sessions of the darkness, had been rather unpleasant. Draco’s snarky personality was a million times more scathing when he was tired.

            “I know, I would have contacted you earlier but the time difference would have put you during work and I couldn’t interrupt you then. A letter wouldn’t have reached you in time and I just had to make sure you were alright. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

            Remus arched a brow at the jumbled sentences. Harry had spoken so fast that he had to replay it all in his mind just to make sense of it. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Had Harry found out about what was going on? He didn’t think that was too likely, no one would have talked to them about it. Except for maybe Severus, but he was positive that his partner would have mentioned it to him.

            Harry leaned back slightly in surprise. He had not been expecting Remus to not know about the deaths of the werewolves. He had hoped that the non-coverage of the papers was just blown out of proportion. If Remus didn’t even know, then this was a problem. “There have been over sixty werewolf attacks in the country since the ending of the war.”

            Remus pulled out his wand and conjured a chair before he fell. “What?” He breathed out in shock. How had he not known this? Why had he not known this? “Are you sure?” He asked in panic. “Where are you getting your information from?”

            Harry nodded gravely. “I am sure. I found out at the Magical Being sanctuary yesterday. The Ministry isn’t covering the deaths. No papers are stating the facts. Remus, people are targeting _any_ werewolf. Even the children.”

            Remus covered his mouth as his mind tried to process this information. With so much going on lately, he hadn’t had time to reach out to any of his friends. Not that he had too many friends that were werewolves, he tended to stick to himself. A lot of werewolves hadn’t liked the fact that he was so close to Dumbledore. They felt that he shouldn’t be getting involved in the affairs of regular humans.

“How is the Ministry managing to keep this a secret?”

            Harry sighed heavily. “I have no idea. I was hoping that you might know. Perhaps get Lucius to snoop around with his contacts at the Ministry? Remus, we can’t let this go unannounced. The public _has_ to be aware of the deaths. It isn’t right.”

            Remus looked to Harry with sadness. He understood exactly what Harry was talking about but he knew it would be pointless. He didn’t have the heart to tell him though. He would tell Lucius and Severus what was going on but even if the public was aware of what was happening, it wouldn’t matter. The lives of werewolves weren’t deemed as important. They needed a lot more than public awareness to stop what was going on.

            “Alright. I will get the family on it and get back to you. Let us know when you get to the next stop of your trip, so that I can contact you.” Remus was trying to reassure Harry but also get him off the firecall. He was itching to tell him about Hogwarts but knew that it wasn’t a good time. Especially with what he just found out about the werewolves. He was honestly surprised that it hadn’t been enough to have Harry and Draco already back here. He wasn’t about to ruin their honeymoon.

            Harry tilted his head to the side as he detected something funny going on. He knew Remus, and if he didn’t know any better, he would think that the man wanted to finish talking. How rude.

            “How is Hogwarts? Did the rebuild go well?” He asked curiously. He had wanted to help the rebuilding process but the summer had been _way_ to insane to even think about adding in something else. He did hope that Hogwarts was functioning just as well as it once had.

            Remus winced at the question. He was at a loss for how to answer that. He wasn’t about to lie to him though. He was a firm believer of honesty always being the best policy. When you have to lie to your loved ones to make them feel better, then there is obviously something wrong there. “The rebuild went well as far as I can tell. There are some spots that are a little different but that is about it.” He said a little hesitantly. Remus tilted his head to the side when he detected the wards to their quarters being lowered. “I think Severus is back from his nightly patrols. We both have had a long day.” That was an understatement. “If you are still in Singapore when I wake up in the morning then I will give you a firecall, alright?”

            Harry nodded quickly. He bade Remus goodbye and closed the floo. It wasn’t until he had successfully gotten his husband back into bed, without waking him, that he realized that it was a tad late for Severus to still be doing patrols. Surely, he hadn’t still been working? He made a mental note to ask him about that during their next firecall. Harry tucked his husband in gently before kissing the tip of his nose. He smiled softly when Draco made a sleepy noise of contentment. He turned away to begin looking in Draco’s things for ingredients to make his lover some potions. Hopefully, they turned out right, or they might just be making a stop at the hospital.

            Remus breathed in relief when Harry hadn’t asked any questions about his odd behavior. Small wins were wondrous. He looked up when there was knock at their second door. It had been a precaution of Severus’s when him and Teddy moved into the quarters. Severus had claimed that a second door would provide them with enough spells to sleep soundly at night. Remus had wanted to point out that a second door wouldn’t have stopped someone if they were really determined to come in, but he knew that Severus was trying to provide safety to them and he loved him even more for that.

            He frowned at the knock. That meant that it wasn’t Severus. He drew his wand as he got closer to the door. Who would be able to take down their wards? Only someone really powerful could do that, or someone who had been keyed into the wards. “Who is it?”

            “It’s me.” A soft female voice spoke up. Remus quickly opened the door. His smile that had begun to form, quickly vanished when he caught sight of his visitor.

            “Oh, Pansy, what happened?”

            Pansy’s face was severely bruised with a long gash down her right cheek, which was bleeding.

            “Oh this? This is nothing, you should see the other guy.” She tried joking but it fell flat as her eyes filled with tears.

            Remus ushered her inside and quickly started healing her the best he could. He had summoned potions from Severus’s supply, thankful that his partner was a potions master.

            “Who was it this time?” Remus asked in a quiet voice.

            Pansy sighed heavily. This had not been the best year. At all. Things had been horrid and it was only four days into the new term. She had known the moment she got on the train going to Hogwarts that things were going to be bad. All the Slytherins who had returned for the year, were _all_ piled into one tiny compartment. She had asked them what they were doing but they all retorted calmly back, ‘safety in numbers.’ The odd statement hadn’t made any sense to her until Blaise and she had been ambushed by a group of Hufflepuffs, hellbent on blaming them for things that transpired during the war.

            Hufflepuffs. Bloody Hufflepuffs had gotten the best of them. Oh, it had been a spectacular duel, but when it is 7 on two, you can’t exactly claim it was a fair fight. Things didn’t end well for them. Not only that, but the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had witnessed the whole thing and took away house points from Slytherin. They hadn’t even made it to the school yet and points were already being taken away. They had been so dumbfounded that a teacher had been there to actually see that they hadn’t done anything to provoke or warrant an attack, but still took points from them, that they didn’t even say anything when she gave them a lecture on not riling up other people. Like that just their mere presence was enough to upset people? What a right bitch.

            She had been hoping that once they got to school, that things would settle down. Oh boy, had she been wrong. Things just got worse from there. Being in Slytherin had always been hard. The prejudice for being in the house was slightly daunting. People look at you like you are about to eat some unborn child. They treat you like you are a spell about to malfunction or explode. But all of that was paradise compared to what was happening now. She would give anything to be looked at like some social leper than to have to watch her back 24/7 for an attack. The spells being thrown at her weren’t a laughing matter. The students were serious in their attempts to make them all pay for the war. Like it was somehow their fault that the Dark Lord had attacked Hogwarts. Like it was their fault some of their parents were deatheaters. Her father wasn’t! Nor was Blaise’s mother! Did that save them from the attacks? No. It didn’t seem to matter. They tried to use common sense, tried pointing out that blaming an entire house for something that hadn’t been their fault was silly. Common sense wasn’t something the other houses seemed to be employing these days. Even the Ravenclaws.

            “Terry Boot and Jack Sloper. They hid behind the tapestry on the seventh floor. Blaise and I had just finished our detention and tried to make our way down to the dungeons but they had the tactical advantage. I didn’t catch them till it was almost too late. I knocked out Sloper with a sleeping spell but Boot got me with a cutting curse to the face.”

            Remus’s eyes widened. “He used a cutting curse?” He asked aghast. That was not something one would think a student or a bully would use. Cutting curses were used when you wanted to inflict bodily harm. This was way deeper than a typical bully. He sighed desperately. He had no idea how he was supposed to handle things.

            Pansy nodded dully. She was feeling much better, the pain had subsided thanks to Remus. She hoped her face wouldn’t scar but in the long run, that didn’t matter. She had a lot more to worry about than her beauty.

            “How did your face get bruised?” He asked as he applied a salve to help said bruises.

            Pansy glared down at her lap. “Boot used a tripping jinx on me when I countered his second cutting curse. I ended up tripping over Sloper’s body and hitting my face on the wall.” She admitted with slight embarrassment.

            Remus winced in sympathy. “Where is Blaise? Is he alright? Why didn’t you go to the hospital wing?”

            Pansy closed her eyes. “Blaise is fine. Professor Williams stopped the duel. She asked which one of us started the fight.” Remus arched a brow. That was new, usually the woman just assumed it was the Slytherins. Perhaps the teacher was coming around.

            Pansy chuckled darkly. “No. She asked whether Blaise or I started the fight. She didn’t even almost believe that they had started it.”

            Remus growled lowly in his throat. He really despised that woman. “We had decided not to speak, since arguing our point wouldn’t have mattered to her at all but she said that if she didn’t get an answer, that we both would be spending _another_ hour in detention.” Pansy told him bitterly. Earlier in the day, they both had been placed in detention for walking a group of third years to Hagrid’s morning class outside. They ended up being fifteen minutes late to their first class. They had tried to explain that it was necessary to walk the students to class but Williams had expressed her offended displeasure that they would suggest that the school was dangerous. Then, Pansy had back to back detentions for speaking up in Herbology when Professor Sprout didn’t offer any punishment when Finnegan ‘accidentally’ shoved Theodore into a highly dangerous _Fanged Geranium._ Theo was still in the hospital wing and that had happened early in the day.

            “Blaise ended up saying he started it. I had three detentions while he only had two. So he took the blame this time. He has another half an hour before she will release him.” She shook her head rapidly at the injustice. Since when was it okay to blame the victims? They got attacked _and_ got punished for it too. It just wasn’t right.

            Remus closed his fist tightly as anger filled him. He was so fed up with all of this. He just wanted to take his lover and leave, but he couldn’t do that. Especially not with Pansy and Blaise still here. Leaving wasn’t an option. Someone had to be here for the students.  

            “You still haven’t mentioned why you didn’t go to the hospital wing.” He pointed out as he closed the lid to the healing salve.

            “Williams said that my injuries didn’t warrant a pointless trip to the hospital wing. She said that if I woke up Madam Pomfrey for such minor things, that I could face another detention tomorrow.”

            Remus stood up rapidly. “She can’t do that. She can’t deny hurt students access to the care that they need.”

            Pansy nodded in agreement. “I agree, but you already tried speaking up once before. I worry that if you try, you will end up fired.”

            Remus shook his head. He could care less if he got fired. That wasn’t a big deal. Leaving behind all the students that needed help? That though, was a big deal. “I will try and talk to Minerva again. She can’t ignore students not receiving proper care. That is something that she just can’t simply turn a blind eye to.”

            Pansy arched a brow but didn’t say anything. She highly doubted that McGonagall was going to do something about it. The woman hadn’t done anything so far. Why start now?

            “I wish Harry and Draco were here.” Remus admitted. “I don’t think that they could help but just having their support would be nice.”

            “I don’t!” Pansy all but shouted. Remus stopped to stare at her in bemusement.

            “Why is that?”

            Pansy bit her lip. “I am being treated so hostile because of what I said before the battle started. I offered that everyone give up Harry. It was a mistake that I had made and I am paying for it now.”

            Remus frowned before kneeling down so that he could stare into her eyes. “You can’t allow what they are doing to you, be some type of penance. Everyone makes mistakes. You were scared, it was a stressful situation and Voldemort was outside the castle gates. Harry doesn’t hate you for what you said. You must know this.”

            Pansy smiled slightly. “I know.” She said in such a firm tone that Remus wondered if he had confused the situation.

            She shook her head. “Harry and I have never even talked about what I did. It isn’t because I am dodging the subject or even dreading it. Harry hasn’t brought it up because he already forgave me. I am not punishing myself by allowing to be attacked. I was merely pointing out to you _why_ I am being targeted so strongly. I said one thing wrong and am paying for it. What do you think they are going to do to Draco? An actual deatheater. The only student who is in the school with a dark mark. The only one who they can legitimately say was in league with the Dark Lord.”

            Remus blinked rapidly as he considered her implications. He couldn’t imagine what the backlash of Draco being here would do. The students went after children of deatheaters more prominently than the other Slytherin students. Draco, however, was a different case. Pansy was right. They would all converge upon him.

            “I heard a couple students talking about how upset they were that Draco hadn’t come back to school. They had _really_ wanted to show him that he wasn’t such a big man now that he was found to be on the losing side of the war. They despise him. I fear for what will happen to him when he comes back.” Pansy’s eyes filled with tears. She had witnessed Draco die twice now! Twice! She had dared to hope that things would settle down now that they were all moving on with their lives but now, even school was turning into a giant mess.

            “Are you forgetting who his husband is?” A dry retort spoke up, startling the two of them.

            Remus looked up to see his lover looking at them in an unimpressed fashion.

            “Harry will literally maim, if not kill someone, if they lay a finger on Draco.” Severus reminded them. He had heard most of what Pansy had said. While he was livid about what was happening, he could understand her fear. Draco would be their number one target.  

            Pansy let out a shaky laugh. He was right. There was no way that Harry would allow someone to harm Draco. She wanted her best friends with her but she also wanted to keep them safely away. Both her and Blaise had been denied the right to leave the school after hours. They had been told that they have too many detentions to provide preferential treatment. It was pure shite. Not a single one of their detentions had even been warranted. They were debating just leaving and taking their N.E.W.T.S work home and just come back for the actual test, but it had been ‘hinted’ that that wouldn’t be allowed. They had only been granted one brief firecall to Fred and George. Things had been stressful for their partners without them. Running two shops without them was difficult, they had been counting on Pansy and Blaise being there when classes were done.

            Remus smiled sadly. His lover had a point. “Speaking of Harry.” Pansy and Severus looked up at him curiously.

            “He firecalled me right before Pansy came in.”

            “Are they alright?” They all looked up to see Blaise in the doorway. He rushed to Pansy’s side to make sure that her wounds had been healed.

            Pansy smiled at her best friend. “What are you doing here? I thought Williams would keep you another half hour.”

            Blaise smirked. “She sent me to Filch instead. The man waited until she left before giving me a lecture on how to avoid getting caught. He walked me down here to ensure that I wouldn’t get in trouble.”

            Severus and Remus shared a startled look. They hadn’t been aware the Filch had a nice bone in his body. The cranky caretaker had _never_ been on anyone’s side but his own.

            “But that isn’t even the surprising thing…” Blaise trailed off with glee. “Peeves and Filch were having a civil conversation, joking even… at least I think it was a joke.” The last bit had been said in concentration. Blaise wasn’t too good at understanding older people’s humor.  

            “What??” Pansy and Remus said together.

            Remus had never seen the man willingly talk to Peeves unless it was to yell at the poltergeist.

            Blaise nodded rapidly. “I think they have bonded over the things that have been going on.”

            There was a silence after his statement. “I think I require to witness this for myself.” Severus mused. He believed Blaise, but he just didn’t think that sounded right.

            “I’ll say.” Pansy said with a shake to her head. Honestly, the war between Filch and Peeves had been some of the most amusing things she had ever seen. She was having a hard time believing this.

            Blaise shrugged. “I am just glad that he didn’t make me clean the trophy room.” He was very thankful for the old man. He looked back to Remus. “You didn’t answer my question, though.” He pointed out. “Is Harry and Draco alright?”

            Remus nodded quickly before telling him everything that Harry had told him about the werewolf deaths. By the time he had finished telling them everything, Severus had wrapped a protective arm around him. As if he was worried about him. It had touched him so thoroughly that he had to take a couple minutes to recover. Remus had just stared at his lover intently, hoping to convey without words just how much the man meant to him. It took a cough to jar their eyes away from one another.

            “Anyways.” Remus began with a clearing of his throat. “That is why Harry firecalled me.”

            Blaise opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words. He looked to Pansy hoping that she could be more eloquent.

            “I can’t believe that the Ministry is keeping this quiet.” Pansy was horrified that there were that many deaths that hadn’t even been mentioned. If the government was keeping this quiet, then what else were they hiding? She was worried for Remus, worried for the students at school, worried for herself and even worried for Harry and Draco. The world was a scary place at the moment, and she had no idea how things were going to change. It would require a miracle.

            “I can.” Remus and Severus said together. Remus settled into Severus’s embrace with a sigh. He wasn’t sure how to approach this. He would definitely be asking Lucius to snoop around. He hoped that there would be some kind of insight on this. Perhaps they could ask the Quibbler to make an article. The only thing was that the paper wasn’t exactly credible. Maybe they needed to find another paper. Perhaps one that wasn’t so… different.

            They all sat in silence after that. Just restlessly thinking about solutions that couldn’t help, or farfetched ideas.

            “Do you think that we could stay here for the night?” Pansy asked biting her lip. She really didn’t want to go to the common room. She knew that it was too late to worry about an attack but she just wanted the comfort of being close to family.

            “Of course.” Remus and Severus said at the same time.

            Severus transfigured the couch into two separate beds for them to sleep in. His quarters only had two bedrooms besides his private potions lab and one of them was being used by Teddy.    

            “Thanks.” Blaise whispered before they both hugged Remus and Severus tightly. “I don’t know what we would do if you two weren’t here.”

            The sentence stuck with them even after they had settled into their bedroom for the night. Remus couldn’t help but replay the desperation in their tones, in his mind. “I wish we could do more.” He mumbled into Severus’s chest.

            Severus pulled Remus in closer to him. “I know.” He kissed the top of his lover’s head. “So do I.”

            “I hate this.” Remus whispered. “I feel so useless.”

            Severus frowned as he tilted Remus’s head back so that he could peer into the lovely topaz eyes that he loved so much. “You are not useless. Nor have you ever been useless.” He growled out. “We are in a tough situation but we are doing the best that we can.”

            Remus leaned up to press his lips softly against his lover’s. He loved the safety and comfort that the snarky potions master provided him. Loved the way Severus always made him feel wanted and cared for. “I love you Sev. So much.” He mumbled against his lips. He could feel a smile against his own lips and he sighed happily.

            “I love you too. Now, go to sleep.” Remus rolled his eyes at the command but complied easily. Sleep sounded like the only positive thing to his day. At least his bed had never provided any angst or prejudice.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot that I would like to talk about when it comes to this chapter. 
> 
> The first being, the actual plot line. Keep in mind that this will all be discussed further, AFTER the honeymoon. Also, keep in mind that the war ended only four months ago. Friends and family buried their dead just a small four months ago. The grief and the anger is high. If you think that wouldn't make upset people, then that just isn't realistic. I will admit that I am having the tense situation a little higher than normal but there is an underlying reason behind this. Prejudice isn't something that has one name to it or only certain people are entitled to claim. Prejudice is everywhere. Especially right now with the war just ending. 
> 
> I imagine that being a Slytherin is taboo. I imagine that there would be so many angry people and that would lead to tensions. I just hope that it comes off as relatable and realistic. I would like your opinions on this, I would hope that it comes out how I planned. If you think it didn't, then again remember that this was just a small sneak peak into the things going on. 
> 
> I myself have never really cared for Minerva. I think that she was a horrible head of house. There were plenty instances of things that she could have improved on. I am not making her out to be a villain. Just someone that is being targeted by grief and is making her blind to things that are important. 
> 
> I will be touching upon so many different things to my series. Bullying is one of them. Prejudice is the main one. Love will always be there in the back, making things better. Hopefully you liked the little interlude to what is happening at Hogwarts. I would really like to hear some thoughts about this chapter. 
> 
> The next chapter we will pick back up at the honeymoon. 
> 
> Now when it comes to a posting schedule. I am not sure what kind of schedule I can give you. I can't do the daily updates. That killed me guys. I will aim for 2-3 times a week. Perhaps some weeks more, some weeks less. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	3. Draco Has No Filter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... part of me feels bad that my last update was a week ago... but.... I bring you a peace offering of nearly 17k words. That has to count for something! The reason it took me so long was the smut. Oh, right, there is smut in this chapter! This is your warning, xD. The smut will be signified by a bolded (*) Smut is hard for me to write, not because I am uncomfortable or anything. I just feel like it isn't as good as my non-smut. If that makes sense. I had skipped the smut writing until everything else was written. Which I found interesting since the smut is at the very beginning. It was a form of procrastination, if I am being honest with you. I am hoping that this has opened the smut gates, so to speak, and that the next time will be easier. Which should be the next chapter actually. I am not usually into making smut so regularly, but this IS a honeymoon, so sex is a given. 
> 
> So hopefully you like the long chapter and that you all forgive my lapse in writing! *Puppy dog eyes* (Did it work?)

            Harry sighed in frustration when the potion bubbled a horrid grey color. Not the lovely silver of his soulmate’s eyes either. This color was one of a faded concrete or a crumpled aged building. Nothing about this potion was turning out how it was supposed to. He just didn’t understand it. He had all the right ingredients, he even had things to improve the potion. So why wasn’t it turning yellow? The potion should have been nearly done by now. He followed the instructions step by step. Harry growled when the cauldron let out a miserable squeak. Perfect, just perfect. He was doomed to be a failure at brewing things.

            Was it supposed to smell like Uncle Vernon’s smelly socks? He didn’t think so. Harry picked up the potions book that he used to make sure he had all of the ingredients. Nope. It definitely wasn’t supposed to be smelling like that. The book said it was supposed to smell like aged charcoal. What the hell does that even smell like? How was he supposed to judge his potion off of that? He really had an appreciation for Severus and Draco to be able to do this so easily.

            He had been so caught up in the disaster of his potion that he hadn’t heard Draco approach until he was caught in the blonde’s arms. He was pressed snugly up against Draco’s body, Harry relaxed instantly at the touch of his husband.  

            Draco put his chin on Harry’s shoulder as he looked inside the cauldron. Looking at the color wasn’t a good indicator of what it _should_ look like. The only potion that should look like that would be an obscure and dangerous poison, which he highly doubted Harry was making. He glanced to the open book and was positive that his heart melted. Harry was making him a potion to get rid of stomach problems and nausea. Draco picked up Harry’s hands and guided the rest of the ingredients into the cauldron, with some extra ingredients to fix the potion’s odd color. He wasn’t sure how it had turned into this grey mess.

            Under Draco’s watchful eye and comforting feelings, Harry was able to make the potion into a success. It was happily bubbling in a bright yellow color, as it should be. The toxic smell was replaced with a calming and soothing mint.

            Harry turned around in his lover’s arms until he could bury his face into his chest. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to make you feel better, but I couldn’t even do that.” He refused to meet Draco’s burning stare and hid further into his husband’s arms.

            Draco smiled softly. Honestly, Harry was the best husband he could ever ask for. He ran his fingers through the wild black hair. “Thank you, angel. I appreciate it.” He wasn’t lying. He loved that Harry cared enough to make him a potion. He thought it was one of the sweetest things that he had ever seen. “I think you did decently well. I only added a couple minor adjustments.” He pointed out.

            Harry shook his head. “It would have been ruined if you hadn’t come by.”

            Draco sighed at the sad quality to his tone of voice. “Even if you had, I still would have appreciated it. You take care of me, and that means more to me than a finished potion.”

            “You mean that?”

            Draco rolled his eyes. He wanted to point out that he couldn’t lie to Harry but he knew that his lover was needing a vocal reassurance. “Of course, my love.” He looked over to see that the potion was cooled enough that he could drink it. He was never eating muggle food again. This pain was not worth it, he ignored the fact that Harry had warned him not to eat so much. That was irrelevant and beside the point.  

            “Hmm.” Draco hummed as he took half a swallow. There was _something_ in here that wasn’t typical. “What is in this?” He looked to see a mysterious smile on Harry’s face.

            “You can’t taste it?” Harry asked curiously. It had been a stroke of luck that he thought of it, really.

            Draco tilted his head to the side as he took the rest of the potion. He tried to savor it, trying to detect what Harry could have added. He knew that he could have turned around and just looked at all of the ingredients again, but this was more fun.

            “I can detect all of the normal ingredients and even some other ones. They are typical things that can be added to increase the potency and shelf life, but I don’t think that is what I am missing.” He sighed as he considered the potion again. He waved his hand and his vial refilled itself.

            Harry arched his brows. “Baby, I don’t think you should take another dose.”

            “I know.” Draco smiled at the concern he could feel in the bond. “It would have a negative reaction to the first dose. I just want to smell it.” He assured him. He closed his eyes as he inhaled, hoping to enhance his other senses.

            Draco snapped his eyes open. “Did you add African sea salt?” He wondered with wide eyes. He thought back to the potion and he couldn’t remember the taste of African sea salt, but he could remember an after taste of something gritty. He had originally chalked that up to the mint that had been added. They both would leave a different taste in the mouth, but together they would combine into a subtle difference.

            Harry grinned widely. “I sure did. I knew that combined with the Valerian sprigs it would cause a sense of drowsiness, which would activate the Fluxweed seeds to go into overdrive since your body would be inactive due to sleep.”

            Draco could already feel the African sea salt coupled with the Valerian sprigs working. He was definitely tired. “Brilliant.” He slurred before closing his eyes. Sleep. That sounded like a wonderful plan. Something was telling him that sleeping while standing wasn’t a good idea, but his tired eyes were begging to differ.

            “It almost didn’t work. When I couldn’t get the potion to the right color, I worried that the African sea salt would disintegrate too thoroughly in the potion. The grittiness of the salt needed to remain intact.” He heard a noncommittal noise and looked up to see Draco’s sleepy face. He smiled at the adorable picture of his man.

            “Let’s get you to sleep, love.”

            “Sleep.” Harry snorted, it was almost worded as a question. “I like sleep.” Draco mumbled.

            Harry huffed out a breathy chuckle. “I imagine so.” He mused as he picked up Draco. “Think you can put your legs around me?” He asked. Draco wasn’t exactly light, but it was nearly dead weight without Draco helping.

            “I can put a lot around you.” Draco barely managed to get his legs around Harry before he rested his head against Harry’s shoulder and let out a tiny snore.

            It took Harry a moment to realize what he meant. He looked to the ceiling to control himself. His stomach was hurting from withholding the laughter that was threatening to bubble out. Even in his nearly intoxicated mind of drowsiness, Draco was still thinking about sex. Horny bastard.

            “What am I going to do with you?” Harry whispered as he made his way back to the bed. There was no answer, not that he expected one, Draco was fast asleep. He tried laying Draco down but the blonde was clutching his shirt tightly. He shrugged before getting into the bed with him. A light nap with his husband before heading out to the sanctuary sounded like a wonderful plan. Harry waved his hand and vanished their clothes as he settled into Draco’s warm body.

                                                              

* * *

 

            Harry wasn’t sure what woke him up. The fogginess of his sleep addled mind was very prominent. Sometimes naps weren’t a good idea. They always left him feeling dissatisfied. Naps weren’t nearly long enough to gain actual sleep but at the same time, they were too long to be considered refreshing. He grappled around, looking for some part of Draco’s body. When his questing fingers came up empty, he opened his eyes with a frown. The other side of the bed was slightly warm, indicating that his lover hadn’t been gone too long.

            He felt a forced calm in the bond, which startled him. Why was Draco attempting to calm himself down? Was something wrong? He could hear the shower in the distance, which confused him. What could possibly be wrong in the shower to make his husband have these emotions?

**(*)**

            When the door opened, Harry could only see a mass of steam billowing out. He sat up as the blanket flitted to the floor, waiting for Draco to come out. He opened his mouth to call out but all words came to a screeching halt at the sight of Draco. His husband was gloriously naked, water slowly cascading down pale, creamy skin. Eyes that normally were a sweet silver, were lust blown and the pupils nearly overtaking the iris. Harry forced his eyes to stay open when he felt the sheer want in the bond. Draco’s lust for him always made him weak in the knees. To know that someone as wonderful and as sexy as his lover, wanted him just as bad, was intoxicating. He raked his gaze down the sculpted chest and tantalizing abs, stopping on hot, fevered, erect flesh. The proof of his husband’s need was standing at attention. He licked his lips the longer he stared. He couldn’t help it. The sight of Draco hard and wanting, always made a deep pit of desire pool in his gut.

            Draco moaned in delight to see that Harry was growing harder by the second. He wasn’t sure what was causing his extra bout of desire but he wasn’t about to complain. Any chance that he got to get lost in ,or around Harry, was perfect in his books. “Harry.”

            Harry closed his eyes briefly at the soft moan of his name. It just stoked the burning fire inside of him, making him cry out internally for Draco. He needed him, needed to be touched and to be the one touching. He held up his hand, indicating he wanted Draco to come closer.

            That was all the invitation that Draco needed. He quickly stepped up into Harry’s personal space to straddle his lap. He gently pushed Harry till he laid out on the bed.

            Draco looked down at Harry’s body in delight. “Beautiful. You are so beautiful.” He smiled softly when Harry flushed in embarrassment. He put a finger to his husband’s lips when it looked like the brunette might argue.

            “Shh.” Draco admonished. “Don’t belittle yourself by disagreeing. I find you so enchanting.”

            Harry could feel the sincerity in the bond and he decided to let it go. If Draco wanted to praise him, who was he to argue?

            “Your body will be a masterpiece.”

            Harry furrowed his brows. “ _Will be_?” Was he indicating that something was wrong with his body?

            Draco hummed his agreement as he ran his palms reverently against the golden skin. “Right now you are just a blank canvas. One that _I_ get to paint any way that I see fit. One that _I_ get to wreck into beauty. One that _I_ get to stroke to completion.” He smirked at his own pun, causing Harry to roll his eyes. Why Draco thought he was funny, was beyond him.

            “What is the paint in this analogy of yours? How exactly are you going to make me a masterpiece?”

            Draco grinned in delight. “You, my beautiful blank canvas, will be marked by me.” He chose to show him instead of using words. Draco leaned forward to start sucking a bright red mark on Harry’s neck. He closed his eyes at Harry’s moan of pleasure.

            “Your whole body will be painted by my mouth.” He whispered as he started trailing his tongue downwards, leaving love bites the whole way. This was one of his favorite things to do. He absolutely loved to see his marks on Harry. Loved knowing that it was his mouth that had caused them. Loved that Harry got a thrill every time he saw them.

            Art was quickly becoming one of Harry’s favorite pastimes.

            Draco moaned in satisfaction upon seeing Harry’s chest covered in bright red rings. “Mmm. You look delicious.” He licked his lips sinfully, which caused Harry’s shaft to twitch. Draco smirked at the reaction but continued on downward to his lover’s thighs. He slowly licked and suckled the skin, loving the smooth skin and the taste of Harry. He could spend hours worshipping Harry’s body and never grow tired. Draco could feel a twinge of desperation in the bond and knew that Harry wouldn’t be able to take much more of this. He reluctantly left his spot between his lover’s thighs and settled on top of his body.

            “I’m so hard for you.” Draco moaned out as he ground down against Harry. They both cried out at the contact.

            Harry looked down to see that Draco was painfully erect, his dick was flushed and a small bead of precum was pearling at the tip. He was suddenly starving, he needed a taste or he might worry for his health.

            “Draco…” He bit his lip as he looked into those gorgeous grey eyes.

            Draco moaned at the way Harry could say his name. It wasn’t fair. It made him lose a slip of control. “Yes?” He breathed as he leaned forward enough to lick the side of Harry’s lips.

            Harry’s breath hitched, it took a moment for brain power to return from the foggy lust that his IQ was quickly disappearing into.

            “I want…” He trailed off when Draco began sucking another mark on his neck.

            “What is it you want?” Draco whispered hotly before nibbling on his earlobe.

            Harry shuddered. “I want to-” He moaned at a harder bite. “I want to suck you!” He blurted out before Draco could distract him again.

            “Oh Merlin.” Draco panted against Harry’s forehead. “Be my guest.”

            Harry quickly flipped them over, till Draco was the one laying down. He could have extended this, could have returned the favor and sucked marks into Draco’s skin, but he didn’t want to. He was dying to get his mouth on Draco.

            Draco took a breath to calm himself but released it in a whoosh as Harry’s tight wet cavern surrounded him. He groaned loudly at the feel of that wicked tongue sliding along his cock. He had been planning on being the one to please Harry but this worked out just fine.

            Harry relaxed his throat so that he could take him deeper, he loved doing this Draco. Loved how heavy he felt on his tongue. He gagged slightly when Draco thrusted up. Harry popped off, panting heavily.

            “Sorry.” Draco whispered. He didn’t mean to do that. “You just feel so good.” Harry smirked in delight, he loved pleasuring his soulmate. He took him back in his mouth, only this time he kept a hold on Draco so that he couldn’t move.

            “Yes.” Draco moaned when Harry began gently fondling his balls. His eyes were glued to the way that Harry’s mouth was stretched widely around his width. “Your pretty lips look amazing wrapped around me.”

            Harry sucked harder in response, causing a choked moan to spill from the blonde’s lips. He loved the sounds Draco made during sex. They always made him nearly delirious in desire. He released Draco with another obscene pop when he felt him tense up. He didn’t want things to end too quickly. Harry gave a small kitten lick to one of Draco’s balls before sucking lightly. When he released it, something slick caught his attention. Harry spread Draco’s creamy thighs apart and moaned at the stretched out and slicked up hole.

            “I fingered myself in the shower.” Draco panted harshly as he recovered from almost climaxing.

            It was making sense now, Harry thought. The forced calm in the bond must have been Draco trying not to come. He watched the blonde’s face as he roughly thrusted two fingers inside him.

            Draco cried out at the feel of those lovely fingers. He had made sure that he was stretched out but nothing felt as good as Harry.

            “What did you think about in the shower?”

            Draco blinked as he tried to get his mouth to form words. It was rather difficult with those wicked hands rubbing against his prostate. “I- _oh fuck_ \- you. I was thinking about- _yes!_ \- you.”

            Harry stilled his hand as he watched Draco’s face grow heated with desire. “What about me? You could have woken me up.”

            Draco shook his head, his pale hair sticking to his face. “I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to thank you for making me the potion. I wanted to show you my gratitude. I wanted to make you feel good.”

            Harry pressed a sweet kiss to Draco’s thigh as he harshly pumped his fingers into him.

            The warring sides of Harry were causing Draco some confusion. The soulmate bond was sweet and gentle, a side effect of his admission, but the harsh thrusting fingers were promising something else. Something sinfully dark and delicious.

            “I thought about what it would feel like to have you inside of me. I thought of the burning stretch and the wonderful fullness. I thought about how good it would feel to have us so connected. I thought about how delicious you look when you come. I thought about how dilated your eyes go when you are sliding into me. I thought about how only you can provide me satisfaction. I thought about how badly I need you to fuck me.”

            Harry couldn’t stop the moan if he had tried. Draco’s mouth was a blessing and a curse. The sharp tongue and zero filter got the man in trouble just as often as it worked in his favor.

            A surprised squawk came out of Draco’s mouth when Harry flipped them again. “I want you to fuck yourself on me. I want you to use me for your own pleasure.”

            A full body shiver wracked Draco’s body. Merlin, he loved the sound of that. He summoned the lube that was still open inside of the bathroom. He quickly lubed up Harry’s cock. 

            They both let out loud moans when Draco slowly lowered himself down. “Fuck.” Harry swore at the tight heat engulfing him. He had to restrain himself from just thrusting up. He wasn’t sure where the self-control was coming from.

            “Harry.” Draco moaned as he experimentally clenched around Harry. He felt a spike of pleasure in the bond and couldn’t hold back. He slid up before slamming back down hard. “Yes.”

            Harry gripped the sheets of the bed hard, in an attempt to keep still. He needed the distraction to keep his lower body stationary. He wanted to do this, wanted to just watch Draco writhe on top of him.

            Draco loved the awe and desire on Harry’s face. Loved the way that Harry made him feel sexy. He leaned forward slightly to change the angle. He closed his eyes in pure pleasure when the head of Harry’s cock pressed against his prostate. His legs stuttered to a stop.

            “Harry I can’t.” Harry’s face was contorted and the veins in his neck were standing out with his effort to keep his self-control. He was confused at what Draco was talking about. “Will you?” Draco paused to try and get his point across with a shallow thrust.

            “Fuck yes.” Harry lifted his knees and planted his feet flat on the bed before snapping his hips up hard. He wasn’t too sure his restraint would have lasted. He wasn’t a saint for a reason.

            Draco threw his head back and let out a cry when Harry relentlessly began fucking into him. It was almost too much but never enough at the same time. “Right there.” He moaned. “Don’t stop.”

            Stop? That wasn’t going to happen. If Harry could have found the words to argue, he would’ve. He just decided to let his body do the talking. He grabbed Draco’s hip and slammed as hard as he could upwards.

            Draco was releasing a string of Harry’s name, over and over. He wasn’t even aware he was doing it. Harry though, was reveling in every whispered moan of his name. It fueled his desire that was pooling in the pit of his stomach. He nearly wished that Draco would stop, because he was almost to the edge of his climax, could feel the waves of pleasure cascading forward.

            “So good.” Harry slurred. “So hot. So tight. Perfect, you are perfect Draco.”

            Draco’s body felt inflamed with the desire rolling off of Harry. He knew that it went both ways, knew that Harry could feel exactly what he was doing to him. Knew that Harry could feel how much he was enjoying it. He tried participating more, tried to slam down opposite Harry but he couldn’t, it felt too good. The pure pleasure was making him go stock-still.

            “Draco, I don’t think-” He bit his lip as he felt his orgasm approaching.

            “Yes, Harry.” Draco locked his gaze onto Harry’s. Watched the spark of desire in those green orbs. “Come.” He demanded. “Come inside me.” He moaned at the thought of Harry finishing inside of him. “I want to feel it. I want to feel your come leaking out of me.”

            That filthy mouth pulled his orgasm straight out of him. His hips began stuttering to a broken rhythm. He could hear Draco wanking furiously and the sounds were so erotic. He opened his mouth in a silent cry as he poured what felt like his entire essence into Draco. He thrusted shallowly as he chased the after effects of his climax.

            Draco was mesmerized by the sight of Harry in the throes of passion. The way Harry’s mouth opened in slight surprise was so intoxicating, he was positive that he had never seen something so hot in his life.

            “Draco.” Harry whispered as he watched the head of Draco’s cock disappear and reappear as he fucked into his fist.

            The sound of his name falling from that sweet mouth was his undoing. He groaned out Harry’s name as his body shuddered out his release. He watched with heavy lidded eyes as he painted Harry’s body with another form of himself. His beautiful masterpiece was complete.

            Draco made a choked noise when Harry lifted his finger to swipe it in Draco’s rapidly cooling come and suck into his mouth.

            Harry made an appreciative noise of approval at the salty taste of Draco.

**(*)**

            “So good.” They said in unison. Draco couldn’t take his eyes off of the way those pretty lips sucked the finger in. He was entranced at the lick of a tongue that came out to play.

            “I think you are trying to kill me.” Draco whispered as he watched another swipe of his come disappear into Harry’s mouth. “It is positively criminal of you to be _that_ hot.”

            Harry smirked at his flustered husband. He thought that Draco needed to check his reflection in a mirror, because his lover was the epitome of hot. The afterglow and drying sweat made him look dazzling. The way his hair was tussled and a mess sent shivers down his spine. The sparkling grey eyes made his heart swell with love. Every little thing about Draco did something to him.

            “Are you going to arrest me?” Harry whispered as he licked the last of Draco’s come off his chest.

            Draco blinked in surprise. “Role playing, huh?” He mused as he leaned forward to kiss Harry softly. “I think out of the two of us, I might be the criminal though.”

            Harry shook his head in rebuttal. “You, my love, are a saint.” He ignored the snort from Draco. “You are the poster boy for angelic intentions and pure innocence.”

            Draco arched a brow. “Are you having a go at me?” When he detected amusement from the bond he narrowed his eyes. “You know, I think I _will_ arrest you.” He decided. “It is not nice to make fun of Aurors. Why, Mister Malfoy, I think I must take you to the Ministry for some questioning.”

            Harry’s eyes widened at how authoritative Draco sounded. He could almost see him as an Auror.

            “Is that fear I detect?” They both knew it wasn’t, but Harry decided to play along.

            “Oh please sir.” Harry begged. “I can’t go to the Ministry, I have two animals and a slightly deranged painting that depend on me to come home. There must be something that I can do. I’ll do anything.”

            Draco snorted at the cheesy but creative answer. “Anything, you say?”

            Harry’s eyes lit up. “Yes, _anything_.” The suggestive tone wasn’t lost on Draco.

            “Well in that case…” He trailed off, leaning forward so that he could press his mouth up against Harry’s ear. “I want you to do my homework for me.”

            Harry gaped for a moment before he pushed Draco off of him. He noticed the small wince when his softened member slid out of him. He ran his hand along his side in an apology. “I don’t believe you.” He retorted with a grin and a shake of his head.

            Draco let out a loud laugh that made Harry sigh happily. “Hey, you are the one that said anything. I just got sex from you, why not try for more? You should know better than to offer a Slytherin such an open-ended agreement.”

            Harry sat up and stretched his arms up above his body before placing a cleaning charm on them. “Lesson learned, but I refuse to do your homework.”

            “You are going against our agreement? How dishonorable of you.” Draco pointed out. He had to bite his lip to stop from smiling.

            Harry threw him a wink over his shoulder. “Criminal, remember? We can’t all be law abiding Aurors such as yourself.” He retorted. “You should know better than to make a bargain with a criminal of the law.”

            Draco raised his brows. “Touché”

                                                                       

* * *

 

 

            “I fucking hate these vines.” Harry grumbled as he wrenched his arm away from the groping plant. Draco rolled his eyes but chose to stay quiet. He was still basking in the wonderful afterglow of their previous activities. It would take a lot to ruin this mood, weird touchy vines were not high on his list of worries.

            “Why don’t they bother you?” Harry knew that he was whining but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. The weird creepy vines only seemed to have a fascination with him.

            “No clue.” Draco admitted as he entwined their fingers and made their way down the road. “To be fair, if I was a plant, I would be all up on you as well.”

            Harry rolled his eyes but still felt a warmth of affection at that. Draco’s statement had been a combination of sweet and sexy.

            They still managed to have an abundance of stares today, which concerned them both. They had remembered to put on a dampening spell. Perhaps the ones in the road were the same people from yesterday. Draco frowned as he looked back at the gazes, some he could remember, some were different. So that couldn’t be it.

            Harry was grateful that the sanctuary wasn’t too far from the entrance. He couldn’t take the stares. There was something different about some of the stares today. It was almost suspicion, like that they were seen as thieves.

            “I am not sure if it is any better or worse than yesterday.” Draco mumbled under his breath. It was almost pointless in his attempts at keeping his voice low. He knew that any of the magical beings near them would have picked up on it, anyways.

            “I am not sure.” Harry admitted with furrowed brows. Perhaps they were just doomed to always have the spotlight shined upon them. “I will feel better when we get out of the road and into the sanctuary.”

            Draco snorted derisively. “I don’t think that will help much.” He argued. “They stared at us plenty yesterday, even in the sanctuary.”

            “You are right.”

            “I usually am.” Draco retorted with a wicked smirk.

            Harry rolled his eyes but wrapped his arm around Draco’s waist, letting go of his hand. Draco relished the contact as he burrowed into Harrys side, he loved that neither one of them shied away from public displays of affection. Occasionally, depending on whether they were around muggles, they would tone it down but they never stopped holding hands. Even if that meant pissing off judgmental people.

            Draco was pretty sure the guards at the door were the same vampires as yesterday… possibly. Their creepy flustered stares were at least the same. Actual looks? He couldn’t say for sure. He needed to pay better attention to his surroundings.

            Once inside, they ignored the itinerary sign and made a beeline to the same room as before. There were a couple stragglers on their way there, but they paid the stares no mind. Draco was proud of his new-found ability to filter out the stares, if this kept happening then he was positive that he wouldn’t even notice them in the future.

            Harry frowned as soon as they opened the door, he was pretty sure the group of girls sitting around the table were not their new friends. He blinked at their shocked faces. “Sorry. We seem to have gone to the wrong room.” He didn’t even wait to hear their replies before he shut the door quickly. He looked up to Draco as they both took a couple steps away from the door before pausing. “That was awkward.”

            Draco snorted. “I’ll say.”

            Harry furrowed his brows. “Where do you think they are? We are kind of late.” He sent a pointed look to his husband, it was Draco’s fault that they weren’t here earlier.

            Draco grinned a predatory smirk that managed to show his teeth. There was a slow drag of his tongue that had Harry shifting, thinking about how talented that tongue was. “Is that a complaint?”

            A flick of a pale eyebrow had Harry wincing at the lust bubbling up. Damn. How is that a simple gesture could get him like this? His soulmate had an uncanny ability to know _everything_ that turned him on, without it ever being mentioned.

            “No.” Harry shook his head. “Definitely not a complaint. Just an observation.”

            Draco huffed out a laugh. “A thin way of pointing fingers but keeping your own nose clean. How very Slytherin.” Harry detected the pride in his tone and he puffed out his chest.

            “I am _The_ Slytherin.” Harry teased lightly.

            Draco took a step closer and smirked internally at the tiny step that Harry took back. “No matter how Slytherin you _think_ you are.” He whispered hotly. “You will never keep up with my devious mind. You do not have the title of _The_ Slytherin, I am afraid that title belongs to me.”

            Harry wasn’t too sure about that. When he put his mind to it, he could be pretty Slytherin. Draco smirked, something that sent unease through Harry, his thoughts must have shown on his face.

            “Harry, love of my life, you really don’t want a Slytherin war. You will lose.”

            There was a sense of sexual danger in his voice. It was doing things to Harry’s insides. Delicious things that fueled his imagination. His _very_ wild imagination.

            “Is that so?” Harry attempted a determined nonchalance, an oxymoron in of itself, he just hoped that he came across as convincing.

            The challenge in Harry’s tone caused Draco to narrow his eyes. His lover’s voice had been slightly breathy, taking the edge of the challenge off. He decided to call his bluff. He spent _years_ learning all kinds of tactics on how to handle people. Some people required intimidation and fear. Others praise and compliments. Sometimes just a simple acknowledgement could go a long way. Politics takes a lot of people watching, one has to not only observe but also understand who the target audience is. Each person has subtle differences from the next. Even if you think that you are on the same side of an issue, there is _always_ something that sets one apart from the other. A lot of things could be said about his father, most of them negative, but it was a known fact that Lucius Malfoy could charm just about anyone and make them think that _they_ had come up with the plan in the first place. It was a good thing that he taught Draco everything he knew. It was also a good thing, that he knew Harry better than anyone else in the entire world.

            Draco took a step forward, pleased to find that Harry had backed into the wall. Perfect, time to implement his plan of attack. “I know your every desire, dream and emotion. I know how to play your body like a delectable instrument or a breathtaking play.” He smirked when Harry’s breath hitched. “You have a wicked mind and a wonderful Slytherin side to you.” He praised, loving the way his words caused those green eyes to sparkle. “But…” He paused for a dramatic effect, loving the way Harry’s face leaned in closer, like he couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

            “You have this not so very great Gryffindor side to you. It gives you all kinds of things that just war with your Slytherin nature. Where you might rush into my traps or plans, recklessly I might add, I will have cautiously planned at least fifty steps ahead of you. I will have you thinking that you are winning, when in reality, you are spinning your own web of defeat. One that will have you so far entangled that you won’t be able to see the endgame.” He whispered into Harry’s ear.

            “I know exactly how your mind works, I know just the right gears of yours to avoid, know what you will and won’t do to counteract my whims. I know exactly _how_ to appeal to your Gryffindor side, while slowly ensnaring you into _your_ _own_ traps. Lions might be king of the jungle… but snakes… snakes are poisonous. Sure, some aren’t, but the majority are pretending indifference. They wait until the perfect moment to strike. Everyone knows that the lion is big, strong and powerful. Lions aren’t underestimated or overlooked, a snake though, is. Snakes are often seemed as weaker in comparison. Don’t let that fool you. That is what us snakes want. We want you lions to think that you are all mighty, we want you to think that your power is infallible. Because nothing is sweeter than to beat you at your own game, with new tactics. Fair is never the way to gain the upper hand.” Draco paused to make sure that his husband was sufficiently distracted, so that he could check on his own trap.

            “Can you do that Harry?” He nosed along Harry’s jaw. “Can you do things dirty? Can you do things that are wrong in the name of winning? Can you ignore the pull of doing good? Can you set aside the instincts to win fairly? Because I don’t think you can. I think the Gryffindor side of you will kick in. I think that you will _always_ do what is right in the end. While you may be a nice combination of two houses, I am not. I _am_ a Slytherin. One hundred percent of the way. The bones of my body are nothing but cunning and ambition. I was born into this, raised into the traits. Slytherin is deeply ingrained into my veins, the blood that flows freely inside of me, screams my resourceful and sneaky nature.”

            Harry had honestly never felt so breathtakingly impressed and in awe of his husband before. Listening to Draco talk like this was doing something to him. More than just lust. He had always known how smart and talented his soulmate was, but this was something else. Because the longer Draco talked, the more Harry lost confidence in his own abilities to out Slytherin the blonde. He was beginning to think that Draco had him right where he wanted him.

            Draco ran his fingers lightly against Harry’s cheek before taking a miniscule step back, it was enough of a step to cause Harry to try and follow.

            Harry frowned when his legs didn’t move. He looked down in surprise to find that his lower half had been spelled frozen. “What?” He asked inelegantly. “When?”

            Draco leaned forward to suck lightly on Harrys neck, right underneath his chin. “The moment your back touched the wall.” He admitted, he felt a flash of surprise in the bond and smirked ferally.

            “I may not be a poisonous snake.” Draco whispered. “But I promise you, I still know when to strike.” He bit down hard enough for Harry to let out a low groan. “Tell me, my precious lion, is this enough proof? Or would you like a different type of demonstration. I promise you, I will _always_ win.”

            Harry closed his eyes for a moment when Draco’s tongue ran along his lightly stubbled jaw. “Fuck.” He muttered. “I concede. You win.” Harry could feel the smug satisfaction wafting off his husband, but he didn’t care. “Feel free to give as many demonstrations as you want.”

            Draco laughed loudly before releasing Harry from the spell. Harry used his newfound freedom to move up against his soulmate’s body.

           “What would you have done if I hadn’t backed into the wall?”

            “I would have used a tweaked dampening spell mixed with a locking spell to bind your wrists together during a heated kiss. The distraction of my tongue would have been enough to fuddle your mind into thinking that I was just keeping your wrists out of the way for sexual reasons.” He waggled his brows suggestively.

            Harry arched his brows in surprise. “I am torn from being mildly impressed and then disappointed that I didn’t receive this kiss.” He ran his fingers along Draco’s cheek lovingly. “You really did think ahead.”

            Draco arched an unimpressed eyebrow. “ _Slytherin Rule #4: Do not rush into situations without a plan. -That is for mindless Gryffindors._ ” He recited. “Even if it was just one upping my sexy husband, the rule still applies. I will always plan ahead, my lovely consort.”

            Harry smiled softly at the endearment. It had been a bit since he had heard it. “Have I told you today how much I love you, my liege?”

            Draco buried his face into Harry’s neck and smiled widely. “Multiple times, actually, but I adore hearing it.” He would never tire hearing Harry’s declarations of love. Sure, he could feel the love but it was always nice to hear it as well.

            “That was one of the hottest displays of foreplay I have ever seen.”

            Harry and Draco snapped their heads up to see that they had amassed a small crowd. It would appear that their friends had found them, along with a couple girls from the room.

            Draco looked to Joseph, who had been the one to speak. “That was not foreplay.” At his look of disbelief, Draco elaborated. “That was just a small spark of desire. What we do behind closed doors is ten times more powerful.” Which was true. There had been lust in the bond but nothing compared to what they feel right before sex.

            “Well, if there are even doors.” Harry piped up, remembering the very pleasurable places all over the house that they have engaged in ‘indecent’ displays, at least Kreacher seemed to think so.

            Draco smirked as he thought back to those same moments. “Mmm, yes.’ He agreed as he placed a wet open mouthed kiss to Harry’s jaw.

            “Goodness you both have no shame.” Blake uttered as he fanned himself with one hand.

            “If that wasn’t foreplay then I am seriously upset with my own love life.” Joseph grumbled.

            “Hey!” A girl cried indignantly. She had long wavy brown hair, her hair was nearly to the floor, which was saying something since she was almost as tall as Joseph. Harry felt absolutely tiny in comparison to her. He was pretty sure her hair was taller than him, and wasn’t that just sad?

            Harry watched Joseph wince before turning a charming smile on the girl. Well he assumed it was supposed to be charming, to him it looked more like a grimace.  

            “Jasmerine.” Joseph said a little nervously. “I didn’t see you there.”

            “Obviously.” She retorted with visible anger.

            “Oh, this will be good.” Peter whispered with a gleaming flash of fanged teeth. Kenny bit his lip to hide a smile as he shook his head. “We might have to intervene if they get physical again.”

            “That was one time.” Both Joseph and Jasmerine said at the same time.

            “Three times.” Jake and Blake argued.

            “No, it wasn’t that many.” Joseph shot back with a frown.

            “Four actually.” The other girl piped up. Draco looked to her curiously. There was something odd about her. He hadn’t quite placed it just yet. She had short black hair, shorter than Harry’s and spiked up. She was darker than Kenny and Peter, darker than even Blaise, when the sunlight from the windows reflected against her body, he could almost detect a blue shine to her skin. He couldn’t see any fangs and her eyes weren’t any indicators of a werewolf. Draco wasn’t sure what she was but he knew that she was definitely not just human. The girl looked to him and there was _so_ much danger in her gaze. The white of her eyes were much larger than they should be, it was almost overtaking the pupil and the iris.

            “ _Oh.”_ The girl hissed in pleasure as she stared at Draco first and then Harry. “Such desires. I can see them.” She shuddered in delight. “Such a shame that I can’t explore them in depth.”

            “Yeahhhh….” Draco trailed off with a ‘what the fuck?’ look to Harry. “We aren’t into threesomes. I am the jealous type. I would sooner kill you than let you touch him. So there is that.”

            Harry choked slightly at Draco’s words. Merlin, would it kill his husband to be a little less candid?

            “I can see that.” The girl said in a breathy voice. “There are so many things here. So many things that I could play with. How heartbreaking, I have never come across so many deep and delectable desires.”

            Harry shifted uneasily. He looked to the rest of the group to shed some light on what was going on.

            “Shia.” Jasmerine called forcefully. “Pull your restraint up and take a step back.”

            Draco watched with narrowed eyes as the girl shook herself slightly before stepping back. She gave them a stiff smile. “Sorry about that.”

            Harry didn’t think that she sounded that sorry.

            “My father is a Shaytan. It is hard for me to reign in the desire to trap people in illusions. You two are quite… delectable. Your bond prevents me from trying anything.” They both detected disappointment to her tone. 

            Harry felt a lot of unease from Draco at her statement. He himself wasn’t fairing to well. A hybrid Shaytan? He had heard from the family about what they had gone through with the Shaytan on the way to the Bermuda Triangle. Draco had shown him some books on Jinn and he thanked everything that he had that the Shaytan had required help, otherwise the Shaytan might have killed them all.

            “I wouldn’t be surprised if you got along well with Scarlett.” Harry grumbled. Both girls seemed to enjoy messing with people.

            Shia grinned widely. “Sure do. Scar is one of my closest friends.”

            Jasmerine rolled her eyes. “Don’t know why, she is the biggest bitch I know.”

            “Right.” Jake, Blake, Joseph and Peter said at the same time.

            Kenny looked amused at the hate for his sister. He didn’t speak up, though.

            “Ah Jazzy, no need to be jealous. You will always be my main bitch.” Shia assured her.

            Jasmerine huffed in reply, but her mouth twitched. She turned to Joseph. “Speaking of bitches.” Draco let out a low whistle at the insult.

            Joseph raised his hands in the air. “No need to be rude Jazz.” He chided with a frown. “Besides, why do you care? We haven’t been together in _ages_.”

            Jasmerine scoffed. “Last week. We slept together last week.” She responded dryly. “That really is ages.” The sarcasm was heavy.

            “Don’t get pissy with me.” Joseph growled. “I told you before all of this started that I didn’t want a relationship. I warned you ahead of time so that I wouldn’t be stringing you along.” He pointed out angrily. “I laid it all out on the table so that you would understand just what you were getting into. You are pissed off because you wanted more. You wanted a relationship from me.”

            “Of course I did!” Jasmerine yelled. “I thought that I could convince you that we would make a great couple. I thought we had something special.”

            Joseph growled. “We did have something special, just not a relationship. How can you be mad at me, when I told you in advance that we would never be in a relationship? I told you that this was strictly sex, I even gave you an out. You _chose_ to stay. How is it that you are trying to claim that I led you on? Because that is what you told me last week! If a guy tells you that he doesn’t want a relationship, it is not the job of the girl to try and prove him otherwise. I knew what I wanted and a relationship just wasn’t it.”

            Jasmerine growled before blindly grabbing Shia’s hand and stomping out of the hallway.

            “Well, that was awkward.” Joseph huffed out nervously.

            “Maybe for you.” Draco and Peter said in unison. They shot each other amused looks. “I found it entertaining.” Peter mused. Draco nodded his agreement. This sanctuary was way more interesting than he first believed it would be. The drama was a fortunate side dish to the adventure.

            Joseph snorted. “I am honored that my humiliation has bled into your satisfaction. I shall endeavor to continue pleasing you.”

            “See that you do.” Peter snarked back with a smirk.

            Kenny ignored the banter and looked to Harry and Draco. “We thought that you both might have left for the rest of your honeymoon.”

            Harry and Draco shared slight embarrassment. “Oh, well, we had some things to take care of.” Harry offered weakly.

            Peter and Joseph stopped their teasing to snort loudly at them. “Yeah, we can still smell it on you.”

            Harry cringed at that. They had not taken a shower afterwards. The cleaning charm must not have gotten them all the way clean.

            “All of our senses are heightened.” Kenny explained with a shake of his head.

            “ _Now_ it is awkward.” Draco mumbled as he rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “So.” He began in a false cheery voice, hoping to change the subject. “What are we all doing today?”

            Peter rolled his eyes at the blatant subject change. “We were thinking of going to a nightclub. Showing you some of the nightlife.”

            Harry shared a surprised feeling in the bond. Nightlife? The most they did after 9pm was cuddle on the couch. Not very adventurous but still enjoyable.

            “We have never been to a nightclub.” Draco murmured out loud. “But we are willing to try it out.” He winced internally, he wasn’t sure about this. A room crammed with sweaty bodies all gyrating in what they think is a sexual way but really looks like seizing cats who have been drowned? No thanks. He briefly wondered if that meant that they were somewhat boring. They didn’t really get out of the house too often. That was by choice though. He loved nights where they could be cozy by the fire and indulge in _many_ different ways to scar Kreacher’s mental health. They had an open challenge to try and predict how many times Kreacher would call them indecent. So far, Draco was winning.

            Jake and Blake looked at them incredulously. “You have never been?” Jake asked with wide eyes.

            “Night club virgins? We have to change that!” Blake clapped his hands enthusiastically.  

            “We go to a lot of clubs.” Kenny explained. “It is something we all enjoy.”

            Harry was a little surprised that Kenny liked clubs seeing since he didn’t really like crowds but to each their own, he supposed.

            “Let’s get ready to go.” Joseph told them in excitement. “After the disaster with Jasmerine, I am ready to let loose.”

            Peter rolled his eyes. “Yeah, let loose into a one night stand.”

            Joseph clutched his hand to his chest. “Oh, you wound me. I am hurt that you think so little of me. I was aiming for at least two nights not just one.”

            Peter snorted. “My mistake. If I had known you had set your sights so high up, I wouldn’t have spoken up.”

            “We all can’t be lucky enough to find a chosen mate like you.” Joseph retorted with a fixed smile. Draco wondered if that was why the boy seemed to be interested in many girls. Was he just using meaningless sex as a filler for an absent partner? 

            Harry furrowed his brows. A chosen mate was just how it sounded. Someone that magical beings choose to spend their life with, even though it isn’t a soulmate. It would be like any typical relationship in the human world, only for life. A chosen mate was someone that they wanted to spend the rest of their life with. If Joseph wanted a chosen mate, then what was holding him back? Surely, it can’t be hard to find someone. If the boy was only interested in flings, then was it really a surprise that he hadn’t found a chosen mate?

            Peter clapped Joseph on the back. “Yours will come along.” He ignored the glare that Joseph was sending him. Harry figured that the werewolf didn’t like talking about feelings too much.

            Draco looked up at the sky. “Aren’t nightclubs, you know, at night?” It was only a couple hours passed noon.

            The teenagers laughed warmly. “It depends.” Kenny answered. “Some are but there are some that are open around now.”

            “Yeah but only losers show up right when they open.” Joseph piped up. “We have some hours to kill before it would reasonable to show up.”

            “It’s too bad we can’t go to Club Kyo.” Jake grumbled with a glare at Joseph. “We could’ve been there right now.”

            Joseph groaned miserably. “When are you guys going to give that a rest? It was an accident!”

            Kenny snorted derisively. “You accidentally shoved your tongue down the throat of the owner’s daughter?”

            “How was I supposed to know that she was the owner’s daughter?”

            Peter sighed heavily. “Her name is Kyo. It was kind of obvious that she was related to the owner somehow. Seeing as the club was named after her!”

            “I just thought it was a funny coincidence. Besides, she never said that her father was nearby! It was just bad luck that the bartender ended up being the owner. I mean, I just thought that he was a grumpy man who made a poor career choice if he couldn’t have good customer service.” Harry snickered at the clueless boy.

            “He was the _only_ employee not wearing a uniform. He looked like he owned the place!” Blake piped up with a shake of his head.

            “He not only kicked you out but we got banned right along with you!” Jake grumbled with a petulant pout to his lips.

            “That was ages ago! I thought that we would have gotten over this by now.”

            “Three weeks. It has been three weeks.” Kenny retorted. “Your lack of awareness when it comes to time is starting to worry me.”

            Joseph ignored his friends and turned to Harry and Draco. “We will be going to Venom.” He also ignored the groans of his friends. “It is… a different kind of nightclub than one you might have heard about.”

            Harry decided to not point out that they again, had never been to a club.

            “Venom is owned by the Incubi council.” Peter piped up with a glare at Joseph. “It is a shady place, which is why we don’t typically go there.”

            Draco looked to Kenny curiously to gauge his reaction.

            Kenny nodded his head. “I will be the first one to admit that it is not the… cleanliest of places.”

            “What does that…” Harry trailed off when he caught on to what Kenny was saying. “ _Oh.”_ He whispered. It was a place where their kind could indulge in sexual acts. That was different.

            Draco really didn’t want to go now.

            “It isn’t as bad as it sounds.” Kenny assured them. “It is a place that welcomes all kinds of magical beings. Even muggles are welcome. It is a decently populated place.”

            Peter scoffed. “They only allow muggles in because it is more food for their appetites.”

            “There is that.” Kenny admitted sheepishly.

            “Why did you want to go there?” Draco asked Joseph.

            The man shrugged. “Venom is the most adventurous nightclub around. Plus, it will help me find a lovely lady.”

            Jake and Blake snorted openly. “Riiight.” Jake said slowly. “Like any lady you meet there will be anything but seedy and easy.”

            “Exactly.” Joseph responded with a waggle to his brows.

            Draco ignored their discussion. “Should we change?” He asked as he looked down at his and Harry’s clothes. They were in just casual jeans and button up shirts.

            “Nah. You are fine.” Joseph assured them. “You aren’t there to find a date nor does it really matter what you are wearing.”

            Harry leaned into to Draco. “I think you look delicious.” He knew that Draco wasn’t too sure about going out, hell, neither was he, so he tried to make his husband feel better.

            Draco felt like his heart had turned a little mushy. He was wearing nothing special but Harry always looked at him a like a present he wasn’t sure he was allowed to have. “I love you.” He whispered back as he sent a wave of gratitude to him.

            “I love you more.” Harry responded as he pressed a gentle kiss right below Draco’s ear.

            Draco opened his mouth to argue the ridiculous statement but was cut off.

            “Please don’t. I can only handle your nauseatingly, adorable, heart shattering love in small doses.” Joseph told them with a grin, letting them know he was only teasing. “If you both start a ‘who loves the other more’ argument, then I fear I will have to bite someone just to relieve tension.”

            Draco chuckled. “Well, we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” He wrapped his arm around Harry and pulled him close. “So if we have hours to kill, what are we doing in the mean time?”

            “I am glad that you asked.” Peter said with a frightening smirk of fangs.

            Harry wasn’t too sure that he would like this.

                                                                     

* * *

 

           

            “Never again.” Draco complained firmly as they all walked the couple blocks to Venom.            

            “It wasn’t _that_ bad.” Jake offered weakly. Even to Harry it sounded pretty pathetic.

            “We didn’t know that everyone would react like that.” Jake protested when Draco glared at him.

            “I could have told you that.” Draco grumbled. Harry sighed before reaching out and entwining their fingers. He also pushed a wave of confidence and love through the bond.

            The change was immediately noticed when Draco sagged and the tension in his shoulders vanished. The anger that had previously marred his features was replaced with a loving smile towards Harry.

            “Woah.” Blake whispered. “Soulmate superpowers.”

            Joseph snorted. “I don’t think it was super powers but it was rather impressive.”

            “Alright. I suppose it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be.” The grudging statement from Draco caused eyebrows to raise.

            “Huh.” Joseph scratched his head. “Maybe it was soulmate superpowers after all.”

            Draco rolled his eyes at them as he sighed internally. He supposed he was just a little angry. The past four hours had been spent being treated like a science experiment. He had finally seen the rest of the sanctuary, only problem was that he didn’t even get to enjoy it, the never-ending stares followed them everywhere. It didn’t help any that their friends riled everyone up. _‘Everyone this is the soulmate power couple. Five galleons and you can even touch them’_ Joseph had meant it as a joke but there had been people who took him seriously. Draco almost hexed some old lady when she got into his personal space. He thought that everyone would settle down but they just kept getting bombarded with questions. Which seemed a little normal, they were the shiny new strangers, that would attract attention. Only, they seemed to be answering the same questions over and over. No one was really listening to them, they were just entranced by their presence. It was creepy and not enjoyable.

            “I don’t get it.” Harry piped up. “I can understand why people stared at us yesterday, we didn’t have the dampening spell on. Today though, we did. I made sure of it. So why did they all stare?”

            Peter hummed in thought. “With magical beings, you have to consider our senses. There are things that we see or feel that you won’t ever be able to. Without the dampening spell, your bond was completely visible to our senses, in some way. Dampening spells by definition, dampen magic. Not get rid of it. You successfully applied the spell but it wasn’t enough for our senses. Just like the cleaning spell didn’t hide the evidence of your sexual activities.” He told them wryly.

            Harry flushed at the reminder that they had been caught.

            “I would say that you mainly just dulled the bond to our eyes. It is like a poorly executed vanishing spell. What happens when you perform a vanishing spell but don’t hide the magical signature of the spell itself?”

            Draco furrowed his brows. “The object will be vanished but it will be like a giant red sign pointing to the place it once was. If the magical signature is still there, then it can be easily felt out, which would defeat the purpose of vanishing the object in the first place.”

            Peter shot him a pleased smile. “Exactly. You dimmed the bond but didn’t hide the effects of the spell. We can easily tell that something was _supposed_ to have been dampened. Only problem is that your bond isn’t something that can be easily hidden. It is like it is partially visible. I _know_ it is there, I just don’t sense the full weight of it. It is just like someone underneath an invisibility cloak. Sure, they are hidden, but when they move or talk, the evidence that they are there is quite clear. Your spell didn’t hide all the evidence. If the person under the cloak had muffled their steps or even performed a silencing charm, then that would make the effect much better. You didn’t clean up the tracks of your spell. The spell worked, it just didn’t get rid of the evidence.” He explained.

            Harry made a thoughtful noise as he thought this over. It would seem that they had to tweak the spell better the next time they performed it.

            “Plus, you have to account for natural curiosity.” Kenny added with a smile.

            “What do you mean?” Draco wondered.

            Kenny smiled wider. “When faced with the knowledge that someone is hiding things from you, wouldn’t you want to figure it out?” He asked. “If you saw a lady with a weak glamour charm on, showing glimpses of what she _should_ look like, wouldn’t you stare at her? Wouldn’t you want to see if maybe the glamour would fail and you would see what it was that she was hiding?”

            “Oh.” Draco uttered. He hadn’t thought of it like that. He would’ve stared at the lady. Knowing that someone went to the lengths of changing their face but not performing the spell accurately, would have attracted his attention. He supposed he couldn’t blame anyone from staring. He would have done the same. They would just have to make sure that they got the spell right, next time.

            “I wish you wouldn’t have bothered.” Kenny said with a sigh. “Your bond is rather beautiful. I could stare at it all day.” He went pink, indicating that his admittance was embarrassing.

            “I wish I could see it.” Joseph, Peter, Jake and Blake all said together.

            Harry wasn’t sure what to think about that. He would like to see what it was that Kenny saw when he stared at them. It was interesting to know that some people could see them differently.

            “We didn’t want to be stared at.” Draco explained.

            Peter snorted. “Well if that was your intention, then it failed miserably.”

            Draco pressed his mouth together in faux annoyance. “Would it kill you to be less blunt?”

            “It might.” Peter joked.

            Draco would have retorted but he stopped in slight trepidation when he realized that they were approaching their destination. There was a slight wait to enter the building, which surprised him. It was barely past sunset, shouldn’t it be less busy?

            Joseph grinned at them. “Venom is pretty popular. Muggles are attracted to the place without knowing why.” He explained. “Magical beings go there because they know it will be a good time.”

            “So you say.” Jake, Blake and Peter muttered.

            Draco wondered why only Joseph seemed to like the place. He figured it had to be what they mentioned earlier, that it was owned by the incubi council. He wasn’t entirely sure what they had gotten themselves into. He just hoped that he liked how the night would turn out.

            They all got in the back of the slow-moving line.

            “Come on Kenny, all you got to do is walk to the front and they will let us all in.” Joseph whined. It would appear that waiting in line was his downfall.

            Kenny shook his head. “No way.” He shot Joseph a disapproving look. “I am not going to use my status just so you can get in quicker. I am no better than anyone else waiting to get in.” He firmly told him.

            “You _are_ the next in line for chairman of your council, though.” Jake pointed out. “You should be allowed to just enter whenever you want.”

            Kenny rolled his eyes. “Don’t encourage him, Jake. We can wait like everyone else or we won’t go in at all.”

            Harry bit back an amused smile, he thought that Kenny sounded like a mother threatening to turn the car around.

            After a tense wait, which Joseph whined the whole time, they finally were about to enter.

            “Mr. Lee, what a surprise.” A guard at the door announced. Draco arched a brow when three workers sprang to attention, pretending that they had been working the whole time. A chorus of ‘Good evening Mr. Lee’ was heard amongst the workers outside.

            “Kenny, please.” Kenny asked them a little desperately. “Mr. Lee is my father and I am afraid I am not quite ready to be called that.”

            “Sorry, Mr. Lee.” The flustered bouncer mumbled as he held the door open for them. Kenny sighed in exasperation of the continued use of his surname.

            The bouncer narrowed his eyes when he looked to Peter, who had his arm entwined with Kenny’s. “He is with me.” Kenny said in a low voice. There was a hint of a growl to his tone, one that impressed Draco. Kenny had managed to be intimidating but also warning the man at the same time.

            “Sorry sir.” The bouncer said desperately. “My mistake.”

            Kenny waved the apology away and walked inside. Harry and Draco were the last of their friends to walk in. The bouncer had looked at them curiously, trying to figure out what about them was so odd. They ignored the man to enter the nightclub.

            Harry looked around the room and the only thing he could think of, was why? Why did they come? Why did people do this for fun? Why did girls wear nearly no clothes? Why was alcohol treated as water and just gulped down without any hesitation? Why were there so many people here? Why did people think that was dancing? Why did there have to be gyrating pelvis’ to be considered acceptable for a public place?

            There were _way_ more people than Draco thought there would be. The room wasn’t altogether that big. Surely this was breaking some kind of fire code to have this many people in a small confined space. He looked around and his brows rose in surprise at the booths lining the walls. The black booths had ‘privacy’ curtains that blocked out the vision into them. He didn’t have to be a genius to figure out that that is where the incubi and succubae take their victims. The booths were all taken and some of them were shaking. He shuddered in disgust as his mind pictured what must be going on inside them. It wasn’t the sexual act that grossed him out, nor was it the public aspect to it. He himself had some fantasies about him and Harry doing something sexual in public. No, it was the fact that _everyone_ who had sex in the club would use those booths. No amount of cleaning spells would make them clean. They were dirty in every sense of the word. Just looking at them made him want to confess his sins. 

            Harry spotted Kenny and the rest of the group making their way to a set of stairs. The stairs were blocked off by another guard. They made it to them in time to be allowed access. He looked at the second floor in interest. It was _much_ calmer up here than it was downstairs. There were at least tables up here for people to enjoy. He was a little surprised that there weren’t too many people up here.

            “This section is only for magical beings.” Kenny explained.

            Jake and Blake snorted. “Yeah, magical beings that are _important_.” Blake corrected. “We wouldn’t even make it up here if Kenny wasn’t here.”

            Kenny bit his lip but didn’t refute the statement.

            “I like it much better up here.” Draco said in relief. The music was just as loud from up here but at least he could reach out his hand and not touch some nasty sweaty stranger.

            “Are you crazy?” Joseph scoffed. “All the ladies are down stairs.”

            Draco looked at him like he was stupid. “Does it look like I care about the ladies?”

            Joseph peered at Draco, who was sitting in Harry’s lap by the table. “No, I suppose not.” He said a little sheepishly.

            Harry tightened his hold on Draco, he was a little offended by Joseph’s line of thinking.

            “Well, I will be down stairs. Hopefully you and Harry come dance in a little bit.” Joseph shrugged and took off.

            Everyone else took a seat at the table. “I think I will dance in a little while.” Kenny mused, keeping a hand on Peter.

            Draco felt that eyes were on him, he looked up to see a guy with dirty blonde hair staring at him. The man looked to be a few years older than him, with hazel eyes. The eyes were decent enough, but to him they looked like a cheap knock off of Harry’s. The man was good looking but not in the least bit tempting. He didn’t like the longing in the man’s eyes. It was… disturbing.

            Harry felt the unease from his husband and he frowned. He couldn’t see what Draco was looking at but he didn’t like the emotions in the bond.

            Draco patted his hand and sent him a wave of assurance as he broke eye contact with the odd man.

            “Oh look.” Jake pointed out in amusement. “Jasmerine is here.”

            They all looked down over the banister that showed the lower floor. Sure enough, she was there glaring daggers at Joseph as he ‘danced’ with some girl. To Harry it looked like they were attempting to have sex with their clothes on, which would be rather difficult.

            “Two galleons says that she starts a fight.” Blake offered up to the table.

            “No way.” Jake scoffed. “That is the worst offer in the history of worst offers. It is a given that she will start a fight.” Kenny and Peter snorted.

            “Alright.” Blake said in defeat. “Two galleons says that his dance partner will get pummeled in the fight.”

            Jake made an interested noise as he looked down to the girl that was still dancing with his friend. “Look at the muscles on her. I guarantee that she isn’t some muggle, there is an aura to her. I can’t smell her this far away but my bet is that she isn’t a werewolf either.” Blake was looking a little nervous now that he was noticing the same things his cousin was. “Alright, you have yourself a bet. I think that if there is a fight, that his new partner will beat Jasmerine.”

            Blake looked a little less enthusiastically as they shook hands, much to everyone else’s amusement.

            Draco leaned forward when Jasmerine pushed the dancing couple apart. “The balls on her.” He shook his head. He didn’t really know the girl but it was clearly obvious that Joseph wanted nothing to do with her.

            Peter snorted. “That is Jasmerine, though. Getting involved in things that have nothing to do with her.” 

            “Oh shit!” Jake and Blake said in unison when Jasmerine threw a punch right at Joseph’s face. They couldn’t hear the fight but the open mouth of the dance partner was in a scream.

            “He has a thing for dramatic girls.” Kenny sighed heavily as the dance partner looked around wildly, they could all see that she was hysterically panting.  

            “That is because he is a ball of drama himself.” Peter said with a smirk.

            Jake and Blake leaned forward when it looked like the dance partner was going to do something other than freak out. They tilted their head when a newcomer intervened.

            “Who’s that?” Harry asked curiously as he narrowed his eyes, trying to see better. The new person was a man slightly shorter than Joseph but still way taller than Harry.

            “No idea.” The others answered as one. “He doesn’t look familiar.” Kenny said out loud. “Nor is he an incubus.”

            Peter narrowed his eyes. “He isn’t a vampire.”

            “Not a hybrid that we recognize.” Jake and Blake piped up helpfully.

            Draco leaned forward so much that he was practically leaning over the banister. He waved his hand in front of his eyes so that he could temporarily heighten his eye sight. It wasn’t a spell that should be done often, because if done regularly it will actually have a negative impact on the eyes. It can cause the caster to become dependent on the spell, making the caster believe that they can’t see well without it.

            “I knew it!” Draco whispered triumphantly. “He is a leprechaun.”

            “What??” Everyone asked in unison.

            Harry furrowed his brows when he thought back to the Quidditch World Cup. There had been leprechauns there, they had been the Irish team’s mascot. They had been exactly what he thought of a leprechaun… which was tiny and green. This guy looked nothing like a leprechaun. This guy had light brown hair that was tied up in a bun. There was a shadow of a beard along his jaw but nothing longer than half an inch. When he thought of a leprechaun… this sure wasn’t it.

            Draco could feel the confusion in the bond and he reached out behind him to grab Harry’s hand, he didn’t take his eyes off the fight scene. The leprechaun had gotten Jasmerine to stop fighting. It seemed that he was sternly talking to them all. 

            “Leprechaun’s are similar to Veela in a way. When angry, a Veela will transform into partial birds. Their beaks elongate and they can be quite vicious.” Harry nodded along, this much he knew.

            “Leprechaun’s have more than one appearance. The small little side of them are for show. It is typically a reflex; an uncomfortable leprechaun will resort to their other shape. It is almost like shape shifting. Werewolves shift on the full moon. Veela shift when angry. Leprechaun’s shift whenever they want.” Draco finished.

            Peter narrowed his eyes again as he took in the appearance of the new guy. “My eyesight is more advanced than your own.” He told Draco in confusion.

            Draco rolled his eyes at the statement. He knew that Peter wasn’t trying to be rude, just that the vampire was confused at how Draco knew when he hadn’t.

            “Blaise went through a leprechaun faze. He met one at the Quidditch World Cup four years ago. He thought he could do long distance. That didn’t work out very well. Not to mention the man was five years older than him.”

            Harry blinked rapidly. “Blaise dated someone 19, when he was 14?” He knew that five years wasn’t that big of a deal, but when you are 14, it seems a lot bigger.”

            “Yes.” Draco rolled his eyes again. “But that is beside the point.” He pointed out. “Blaise, Pansy and I, did a lot of research on leprechauns. We couldn’t allow him to get involved with someone and _not_ know everything about their culture. That is kind of rude to remain ignorant when you don’t have to be.”

            Peter furrowed his brows. “I have been around several leprechauns in the past but I didn’t notice any tells that would give one away when they weren’t shifted.”

            “I have never met a leprechaun.” Kenny whispered. “There hasn’t been a leprechaun inside the sanctuary in a long time.”

            Draco shrugged. “It’s the medallion on his shirt.”

            Everyone leaned in to inspect what Draco was pointing at. Harry had to squint _really_ hard just to make out something gold and shiny on the man’s collar.

            “That is infused with many different spells and potions to heighten the ease when a leprechaun shifts. The shift can be painful and the gold coins help lessen the ache of shifting bones. I remember seeing it in the books and even on the leprechauns at the Quidditch World Cup.” Draco explained. He knew that the magical beings would know all of this about the coin, but Harry wouldn’t.

            Harry wondered if that is where the muggle myth about leprechauns and gold came from. Was it their coins that caused the theories?

            “I wasn’t looking at his clothes.” Peter mused. “Well done.” Draco could hear the almost pride like quality to his tone and it made him smile.

            Jake choked a little, causing everyone to lean forward further. Harry’s eyes widened at the sight down below them. Jasmerine was long gone, she seemed to be dancing furiously with some poor sap who couldn’t keep up with her fast feet. The dance partner with the muscles was at the bar glaring at Joseph.

            Joseph… was being healed by the leprechaun. They could all see the shy smile on the werewolf’s face. It was almost adorable.

            “Is Joseph into guys as well as girls?” Harry asked curiously. He recognized the look on Joseph’s face, it was the same look that Draco sometimes gave him when he was particularly in a loving mood.

            “No.” The rest answered firmly.

            “Uh…” Blake trailed off after the negative answer. The leprechaun lifted his hand and slowly lowered it against the newly healed eye, the bruise was gone. There was a hesitant kiss to the man’s palm from Joseph. “Perhaps we spoke to soon.”

            “No way.” Kenny whispered with a smirk. “How could we have missed this?”

            Draco watched the way the kiss lit up the leprechaun’s eyes, making the man seem positively smitten.

            “To be fair, Joseph is _constantly_ sleeping with a new girl every other day. The signals we were getting were pretty straight forward.” Peter reasoned.

            They watched as the leprechaun raised his palm in a clear indicator that he wanted to dance with Joseph.

            “Is he blushing?” Jake asked in a completely aghast voice.

            Peter snorted at the visible blush on the werewolf’s face. “Surprising. Joseph retold his very explicit past sexual history to Mrs. Chan last week, without batting an eye. Not even a slight blush, but yet a dance offer has him blushing like a prepubescent child.”

            Kenny smacked his arm lightly in a warning to be nice.

            “He told the director of the sanctuary about his sex life?” Blake whispered in horror. “I can’t even be in the same room with the woman when she teaches sex education to the younger children.”

            Draco and Harry snorted at the alarm in Blake’s voice. Harry furrowed his brows when the statement triggered something that he had never thought of before. Why hadn’t Hogwarts taught the students about sex education? Sure, he had other things on his mind during school but he was one of the minority. Teenagers can be quite horny bastards, Draco was a prime example of that. Not that his husband had been promiscuous, luckily Draco had found his love of sex after they got together. Though not all teenagers were like that. He could remember a few older students being vocal about what they were doing. There had been no class about protection spells or contraceptive potions either. He just hoped that the students were being safe. Maybe that was something else they could add into the petition for the Ministry.

            “I think it is cute.” Draco said out loud. Harry shook his head of his wandering thoughts as he tried to understand what Draco was talking about. “Perhaps he wasn’t aware of his bisexuality and slept with women hoping that they would provide what he was clearly missing. Some people don’t realize that they like the same sex until it is screaming at them in the face.”

            Harry tilted his head to the side as he considered this. He himself had never liked guys until Draco. He just hadn’t thought about it. Although, his fleeting relationship with Ginny hadn’t been exactly satisfying. Things had never clicked like they should have. He hadn’t liked kissing Cho, at all, nor was his date particularly fruitful. Perhaps he hadn’t ever been into girls. He shrugged internally. It didn’t matter if he was bi or gay. He was happily married to a man and was completely comfortable with that.

            “Or.” Kenny spoke up. “Maybe he _was_ aware of it and panicked. He might not have wanted to be attracted to men and hid the fact with meaningless sex.”

            Harry frowned. “But I thought that homosexual relationships in the magical world were okay socially.”

            “They are.” Peter reassured. “Joseph is a unique hybrid amongst his own people. Werewolves don’t have hybrids like some other magical beings. He is a walking contradiction. Most Original werewolves stick to other originals. It is not uncommon to have unions like his mother had, it just isn’t done too often. The pressure to mate with an original female would be strong within the council.”

            Harry sighed in frustration. “I thought that male werewolves can get pregnant.” He was not understanding this at all.

            Kenny smiled at Harry in a gentle way that had Harry almost growling. He didn’t like it when people tried to patronize him. Draco turned his gaze away from the dance floor and pulled on Harry’s hand to get him up. He took Harry’s recently vacated seat and had his husband sit down on his lap, reversing their earlier position. Harry felt much calmer with Draco’s presence and touch. He looked to Kenny in an apologetic manner.

            “They can.” Kenny took over the explanation. “What you have to understand is that the werewolf council is falling apart. They aren’t as structured as they once were. Werewolves are the most hunted magical beings at the moment. Every year their numbers dwindle dangerously. If things don’t change, I predict that within the next five years, werewolves will become almost as instinct as us Incubi.”    

            Harry shook his head rapidly, no, that couldn’t happen. He feared for Remus and Teddy even more than he had originally. He wouldn’t allow anything to happen to his family. He just wouldn’t.   

            “The werewolf council has been telling Joseph his whole life that when he becomes a proper marrying age, that he will breed the best choice of original female werewolves that there is. They think that since his mother was an original that it would help his future children genetically.” Kenny shook his head. “It makes no sense but that is part of why their council is practically in shambles.” 

            Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust at the wording, ‘breed’? What was this? The middle ages?

            Peter nodded his head in understanding. “The best choice at the moment is Jasmerine. Which is why she is here in the sanctuary. The werewolf council sent her a couple years ago, to get the two of them more acquainted. Joseph told her upfront that he wouldn’t commit to a relationship with her. He wants to abide by the council but also wants the freedom of finding his own chosen mate. I guess the real problem might be that Jasmerine isn’t a boy.” The final sentence was said with an amused smile.

            Kenny elbowed his mate but they could all tell that he was amused as well. They looked to the dance floor to see that the two men in question were dancing to a rhythm that didn’t match the beat, it was a slower dance than it should be.

            “Oh my.” Peter said with distaste. “I have to admit that Draco was right. They are cute.” Harry snorted at the obvious pain that the admission cost Peter.

            “You know what I just realized?” Jake asked his cousin in shock. “We are now the only straight ones of the group.”

            Peter chuckled at the wonder on Blake’s face when Jake’s words registered.

            “Looks like we are the minorities in more than one way.” Blake said in awe.

            Kenny shook his head at them. “You act like being the minority is something amazing.”

            Jake scowled. “Well, hello? It is.” His tone suggested that Kenny wasn’t thinking straight. “I mean we are already sexy troll hybrids, you four won’t be getting the ladies, so that means that they will be coming to us.” He gestured between him and Blake. “So yes, being the minority here is a major win.”

            Peter smirked at them as he placed his head in his palm. “One problem with your brilliant conclusion.”

            The cousins narrowed their eyes in suspicion. “Which is?” Blake asked with his arms folded across his chest.

            “You actually have to have girls approach you, which hasn’t happened in months. I have actually never seen either one of you with a girlfriend, come to think of it.”

            Jake scowled. “We are just riding the single life… that’s all.” At Peter’s incredulous look they both glowered. “We could get a girlfriend if we wanted.” Blake told him sternly with his tongue sticking out in a glaring show of maturity.

            “The day that happens, is the day that I adopt you.”

            Jake and Blake shot each other mischievous looks. “You know, Blake, I have always wanted a second daddy.”

            Peter choked slightly at that.

            “Don’t ever call my mate daddy again.” Kenny warned them with a frown, but his eyes were shining in mirth.

            Harry grinned at their bantering, he liked their friendship. It reminded him of his own friends. He missed the quartet a lot, and it had only been close to a week since they left.

            Harry stood up. “I think I will get some drinks from the bar.” He pointed to the bar on their own floor. He made his way over to the nearly empty counter with all the orders from the rest of the table.

            Draco was listening to Jake and Blake tease Peter about what it would require to adopt two partial trolls when he heard a low cough. He looked up to see the odd blonde man who had been eyeing him earlier.

            “Can I help you?” He drawled in an unfriendly tone.

            A flashy smirk that no doubt drew in shallow men and women was his response. “I think it is the opposite. It is what can I do for _you_.” The suggestive tone to his voice had Draco’s eyes hardening.

            “I am sure that line works on simpletons, but it won’t work on me.” He told him thinly. He could see Harry turn quickly to see what was causing his anger. He sent his lover a wave of confidence, letting him know that he could handle it. Draco saw Harry narrow his eyes but relent control to him.

            Harry was leaning against the bar with a heated glare at the stranger that was angering his soulmate. He had already given their drink orders to the bartender and was just waiting for them, now.

            “Oh?” The stranger asked playfully and confidently. “Why is that?” He leaned into Draco’s personal space.

            Draco sighed heavily before pointing to Harry. “You see that guy over there? The one with the beautiful eyes and outrageously messy hair? He looks like he just rolled out of bed or had a particularly satisfying shag.”

            The stranger furrowed his brows in confusion but nodded anyways. “He is my husband. My very territorial husband.” He lifted his left hand to show the idiot his ring. Which also should have alerted the man to the fact that they had tied themselves together in the _in perpetuum simul_ ceremony. The man however, hadn’t even taken his eyes off of Draco’s lips, which was seriously pissing him off.

            “Husband you say?” There was a leer in the smirk he was giving Draco now. “Perhaps the _both_ of you would like to come with me downstairs to one of the booths?”

            Draco opened his mouth in surprise at the man's gall. Was this a usual thing done at this place? He shook himself mentally. He had not thought that he would ever get propositioned, especially not by someone who wasn’t Harry. “Look, you moron, can I call you a moron? I feel like since we know each other so well, that nicknames are acceptable at this point in time.” He could hear the snorts of everyone around them. He held his hand up when the man looked like he was going to say something rude, if the red face was anything to go by.

            “I tried being blunt with you but it looks like I was too subtle. So I will remedy that quickly. My husband, the man who was just sitting in my lap before you unfortunately came over here, is not a man you should mess with. Neither am I, but that is beside the point.” At the disbelief in the man’s eyes, Draco smirked dangerously.

            “Harry has been in a war. Have you ever fought in a war? I don’t mean a war with your liver that you have no doubt been drinking into a stupor.” He nodded to the pile of shot glasses at the guy’s table.

            “I am talking blood and death. He has seen some things that might make your stomach churn and your toes curl. He knows spells that would make you wish for death, he knows potions that would literally spill your guts to the floor. Have you ever played with a person before? I am talking their life. Have you ever held the life of someone in your hands and just played with it like a child in a candy store? He could slit your throat easily and revel in the blood, he could eat parts of you for breakfast if he wanted to. The insides of a human body actually look like rubbery eggs, did you know that? Did you know that the smell of a dead body never really goes away? The entrails leave behind a residue that just won’t get clean no matter how hard you try, but I am sure that he is willing to chance that if you don’t get away from me.”

            The man covered his mouth with his hands. “I think I am going to be sick.” Draco watched him stumble away towards the bathroom with satisfaction. There was a silence around the table that had him looking up.

            Jake and Blake looked a little green. “Was that true?” Jake whispered as he stared at Harry in a new light.

            Draco snorted loudly. “No, but that wanker didn’t need to know that.” Harry was a soft teddy bear compared the mental picture he had painted. Harry would have messed the guy up, but not to that kind of extremes.

            The cousins relaxed drastically. “You had me worried there!” Jake scolded him.

            “That seemed oddly knowledgeable to not be real.” Peter mused.

            “Well you don’t house Voldemort in your house and _not_ pick up on his methods. You don’t even want to know some of the things I have witnessed.” He shuddered, trying not to think of the dead man.

            There was an uncomfortable silence that ensued after that, until Harry came back baring drinks. “You alright, baby?” Harry asked softly as he lowered himself back in his husband’s lap.

            “I am now.” Draco answered honestly. Which was the truth. With Harry here, he made the awkwardness melt away. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the stranger come out of the bathroom, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “Harry love, I need you to glare at that guy for me.”

            Harry arched his brows but did as Draco asked. He looked on in amazement when the guy let out a squeak and ran down the stairs as if someone was chasing him. The table erupted in laughter.

            “What just happened?” Harry demanded to know.

            Peter snorted amongst chuckles. “It would appear that your glare is just that intimidating.” Harry narrowed his eyes.

            “I may have indicated that you would do terrible things to him if he didn’t leave me alone.” Draco admitted with a kiss to the back of Harry’s neck.

            Harry twisted a little till he could look at Draco’s face. “You don’t need me to protect you.” He was confused, Draco was not a damsel that needed a knight in shining armor. His husband was _very_ skilled with a wand and could take care of himself.

            Draco smiled softly at his lover. He loved that Harry treated him like an equal in every aspect of their lives. “I know, but it fit in nicely with the story I was laying out.”

            Harry wrinkled his forehead in thought. Judging by the way the guy fled and the fact that Draco had absolutely _no_ filter when it came to talking, he figured that Draco had said some twisted things. “Do I want to know?”

            “No.” The rest of the group answered for him. Harry chuckled but shrugged. He was okay with not knowing. It was probably for the best, anyways.

            Staying up on the second floor gave the illusion that they were in a decent place, but every time Harry looked over the banister, he could see the evidence that they were in fact in a nightclub. A seedy one at best.

            A sudden thought sparked in his mind. Harry stood up so fast that it startled everyone else. He looked into curious grey eyes. “I know that you are married kind sir, but it would be of the highest honor if you would grant me the pleasure of one dance.”  

            The way Draco’s eyes sparkled took away Harry’s breath. He smiled sweetly in response, with his hand still held out in an invitation.

            Draco couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. “You are correct in your assumption. I am married… happily married.” He added, loving the way the bond seemed to breathe happily. “I would love to dance with you, Harry.” He quickly placed his hand in Harry’s and allowed himself to be pulled up.

            They walked towards the stairs with their eyes on one another, not paying attention to where they were going. Draco thought there might have been some catcalls from their friends, but he wasn’t listening in the slightest. He was too distracted by the way the flashing lights made Harry look ethereal in his beauty.

            The song was faster than either one of them were used to, so it took them some time to get used to the beat. They would never be professional dancers but they didn’t fare too bad, especially for their first time. Draco made sure to keep a hand on Harry, partly to ensure that he didn’t go anywhere. The excess bodies everywhere made it seem like they were dancing with multiple people instead of just each other. Mainly, he loved the feel of Harry’s skin underneath his own.

            Harry could understand why Joseph and his leprechaun had danced to their own rhythm, there weren’t many opportunities for romance on the dancefloor. He looked around to see actual couples dancing, not just strangers and it made something Joseph say earlier stick out. Dates. Joseph had said that they didn’t have worry about their clothes because they weren’t there to get a date. It made him realize that he had never had a date before. Neither had Draco. Not even in their past lives had they gone on dates. It sent a small shot of longing go through him. He wanted that. He wanted to go on a date with Draco.

            “What’s wrong, angel?”

            Harry smiled warmly before lowering his head to Draco’s shoulder. Draco stopped moving to wrap his arms around Harry and hold him tight.

            “Nothing.” Harry told him truthfully. “I just have an idea that I want to implement.” He could feel the curiosity from his husband and it caused him to grin.

            “I’ll tell you when I figure it out.” Harry promised.

            Draco arched a brow but decided to let it go. If Harry didn’t want to tell him just yet, then that was fine with him. Harry hadn’t lied when he said he was fine, so it obviously wasn’t a problem. That didn’t stop him from being curious though.

            “I am pretty sure for that to count as dancing, then you actually have to move.” They both looked up to see a sweaty Joseph and his mystery man.

            “Sometimes you have to take a break.” Draco countered with a grin, not letting Harry go.

            Joseph laughed warmly. “You only had one dance. Why would you need a break already?”

            Harry lifted his head up. “Alright. Perhaps he just needed an excuse to hold his husband.” Draco nodded his agreement.

            “Oh, you are married?” The mystery man asked with a gentle smile. “Hi, my name is Cian, Cian O’Brady.” The man held his hand out.

            Harry reached out to grip the man’s hand with a smile. “Harry Malfoy.” He loved that his name didn’t even remotely sound familiar. It was nice not being recognized as Harry Potter.

            Draco could hear the thick Irish accent in the man’s voice and it just proved even more that he had been right. He reached out his hand to the man. “Draco Malfoy.”

            “Nice to meet you both.” Cian genuinely told them. Harry instantly liked the man, much more than he had Jasmerine.   

            “So did you know each other before today?” Harry asked curiously. He was intrigued at how quickly Joseph had relaxed around the man. The earlier ladies’ man was mellowed into a calm persona. One that made him almost not recognizable.

            Joseph exchanged a look with Cian before shaking his head. “No, tonight is the first time we have met.” Joseph told them without taking his eyes off the other man.

            “Hopefully, there will be other nights.” Cian muttered.

            Draco felt a little awkward, the previous discussion was now over as the men began a private moment. He felt like they were intruding.

            Joseph smiled shyly. “I would like that as well.”

            Harry smiled at the kiss Cian placed on Joseph’s cheek. “I shall see you tomorrow, _acushla.”_ He looked to Harry and Draco. “Perhaps I will meet you again, sometime.” They watched him walk through the crowd and out the door.

            Joseph sighed in a way that Draco could only describe as besottedly. “I have a date tomorrow.” Joseph said in awe.

            “A date? ‘Mister I don’t date, it shatters illusions of sex’ has a date?” Came Peter’s voice. Harry saw that the rest of the group had converged on them.

            Joseph rolled his eyes. “Yes, I have a date. Got a problem with it?” He straightened up to his full height.

            “Not at all.” Kenny interrupted smoothly. “We are just surprised is all.”

            Jake and Blake nodded along. “Yeah, usually by now you are in one of the booths.” Jake told him gesturing to the rocking booths in the back.

            “It’s not all about sex, you know.” Joseph countered, lifting his nose in the air.

            Harry watched everyone gape inelegantly, even Peter.

            “Who are you, and what have you done with our friend?” Blake demanded to know as he stood on his tippy toes to press the back of his hand to Joseph’s forehead.

            Joseph smacked his hand a way with a laugh. “Alright, I suppose I deserved that. There is something different about Cian. Makes me want to take it slow.”

            While everyone was still gaping like idiots at him, Harry spoke up. “I think it is sweet.”

            “Thank you, Harry.” Joseph said gratefully with a glare at his friends. “Why don’t we head out of here?”

            Kenny arched a brow. “You want to leave the club before midnight?”

            Joseph blushed. “Well, there isn’t anything here for me at the moment. I figured we could go somewhere else that isn’t a club.”

            It was obvious that his friends were struggling to understand his sudden change of behavior.

            “What did you have in mind?” Draco asked. He didn’t mind leaving the club, he was itching to go somewhere with less sweaty bodies.

            “I was thinking we could go pig out on muggle fast food and do absolutely nothing together.”

            Several stomachs growled in agreement at this plan. Draco wrinkled his nose. “Umm.” He was still remembering his disaster last night. The muggle food had not settled well with his stomach.

            They all began walking towards the exit. “Just be careful how much you eat.” Harry told him softly. “I’ll help you find something you will like.” He promised.

            “With my angel keeping a watch on me, I will be just fine.” Draco admitted as he pressed a soft kiss against Harry’s lips. The kiss was too soft for Harry’s liking but it fluttered his heart regardless.

            “Keep that up and you are going to make me lose my appetite.” Joseph griped from a head of them.

            “Get used to it.” Draco snarked. “I plan to bore you to tears with my wonderful observations of how amazing and talented Harry is, while looking at him with stars in my eyes.”

            They all laughed at the agonized groan that Joseph released. The club may not have been Draco’s idea of fun but with Harry by his side and friends nearby, life was pretty perfect. Tomorrow would be a new stop to their wonderful honeymoon, but Singapore would always have a special place in both of their hearts. He knew without a doubt that they would be coming back in the near future for a visit. Especially with friends like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, what did you all think? I would say that not a whole lot happened in this chapter but there is a reason for all of this. There are things that happened in this chapter that will be mentioned later on. I don't just have pointless things mentioned... usually. Haha. 
> 
> Key things that I want to mention. 
> 
> -1. Harry making a potion, horribly, to make Draco feel better, makes me swoon. Too cute. 
> 
> -2. Pronouncing the names. Jasmerine: Jazz-mer-een. Shia: Shy-uh. Cian: Key-in.  
> -2a. Jasmerine was pretty self explanatory, her character, I mean. She likes Joseph, obviously. It first started out as duty but for her... it bled into more. Now, I did play around with that. I had originally thought of making her the girlfriend but I am so happy I didn't. I like Cian much more.  
> -2b. Speaking of Cian, I know there wasn't much on him. Just a small introduction. No worries. He will be introduced later on. In case I am being too subtle. Ireland will be included in the honeymoon. So if you wanted to learn more about my version of the leprechauns, then you are in luck. If you didn't, then oh well.  
> -2c. Shia. She won't be a major player, she was more of a filler character. I suppose I could do more with her if you all wanted me to. No, her father is not the same Shaytan that was released. Shaytans are very dangerous, if you have forgotten what exactly they do, then please go back to the chapter titled Shaytan, in my first book of the series. So, Shia is not someone to be taken lightly. 
> 
> -3. Slytherin war. I really do think that Draco would win that one. Yes, I realize that Harry shouldn't be underestimated and that he is mighty powerful. Butttttt... Draco has been raised to be a Slytherin. Harry may have the qualities of a Slytherin and even act like one, but I just don't think he would be a match for him if it came down to out smarting the other in a Slytherin matter. Your thoughts on this? 
> 
> -4. Joseph. I debated for a while on his personality. I liked him being just a giant flirtatious guy who couldn't keep a relationship if he tried. I think that out of all of them, that he would be the one that fit this bill to a tee. I also had liked the idea of him being strictly heterosexual. I changed my mind in the end. You can take this as him being bisexual or just that his homosexuality was repressed. Either way is fine with me. I think the pressures of his council would have played a big part in his mentality, which would have made him shy away from boys.  
> -4a. There are factors that play into sexuality that I wanted to address with this chapter. I suppose you can consider the council as a metaphor for a family. Some people feel that they cannot come out due to family pressure. This chapter is a roundabout way of showcasing this. In a magical world of acceptance, I had to get creative in putting this out there. There is no one way to be LGBTQ+. Every person is different in their own experiences. So some might think it odd that I portrayed Joseph like this but this type of situation happens a lot more than you think. Take what you will from his character. 
> 
> -5. The night clubs. Venom was a club in Singapore that was around in 1998. I wanted to stay accurate to the time period. Now, club Kyo, which was only mentioned in passing, is actually a club that is in Singapore currently. I needed to have a name that could fit with the whole 'daughter of the owner' bit, which was quite difficult to find a club that could potentially sound like a name. So I just tweaked it slightly.  
> -5a. A night club owned by the Incubi and Succubae council was something that intrigued me. I needed a way for them to be able to have access to 'food' without drawing too much attention from the magical Ministries and local law agencies. No, they aren't killing them. Just sex. There are clubs like this all around the world in my story. This was just one of them.  
> -5b. I don't know if nightclubs are a cliché fanfiction thing or not. I just needed something that five local teenage boys might be interested in. Yes, I realize that they aren't all of age. Singapore it is 18... for a lot of things. Butttttt... with Kenny being who he is, no one would question his admittance. I suppose I could have found something else but this was something that I have never written about and it intrigued me. 
> 
> -6. I just adore that Draco says pretty much whatever is on his mind. The no filter is an interesting trait that I quite like. 
> 
> -7. Acushla is a way to call someone darling in Gaelic. Not a literal translation, just something I came across. Which is rather adorable that Cian would call Joseph that, considering they just met. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	4. Barcelona

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to talk about a couple things. 
> 
> First off, this chapter is incredibly fluffy. Like tooth rotting fluffy. Part of this was because I was angry. Sounds silly, stay with me though. When I read fanfictions I like to hope that authors are tagging their stories correctly. Meaning if there is a Major Character death, it should be tagged. If there is a suicide, that should me mentioned for trigger reasons. I can't do sad stories. I can't do it. Which is why I can't read anything by Nicholas Sparks. I made that mistake when I was in high school and read 'A Walk to Remember'. That was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. Sad things like that mess with me. It leaves me in a funk for days. Sometimes weeks. Which is why I don't like the Titanic or the Notebook and things like that. It just isn't my thing. Well to make a long story short, I read a one shot about five days ago that pissed me off. The story was a suicide and a major character death rolled in one. It was not tagged properly. Not sure how many of you like Supernatural but the characters were Cas and Dean... hello! Those are major characters. Like wtf? Some warning would have been nice. How can you have a suicide and NOT mention trigger warnings? You don't even know how messed up the stupid story left me. Sometimes I think I overreact but it left me feeling sick. Physically sick. I wouldn't have read it if they had tagged it correctly. 
> 
> The point I am aiming for here is that this fluffy chapter was my way of coping. If it is too fluffy, then I apologize but it sure did help me out. 
> 
> Second, I know that I said in my last chapter that this one would have smut as well. I needed to upload this chapter right now before I miss my mark. I will still add a smut scene later in the week. But it won't be added to a new chapter. I will just edit into this one later. The main reason is because the next chapter will be a different destination and the smut scene revolves around the end of this chapter. Sorry guys. My mind is still messed up with the other story and I need more time to finish the smut.

           Draco bounced on top of the bed with a long drawn out sigh. They were in Barcelona and he was doing homework… homework! He looked towards the window and could make out the ocean view from his spot on the bed. They had opted for a muggle one this time, only because the hotel was practically up against the shore line. The longer he stared, the more he wished they were out there. He knew begging Harry would get him nowhere. His husband was determined that they at least finish some kind of studying. Besides good grades and a potential good job, what did studying ever get someone? Boredom, that’s what. He had tried emphasizing this point but Harry had looked at him in an eerie way that reminded him of Severus when a student said something particularly stupid.

            He frowned when he felt a fresh wave of nerves in the bond. Harry being nervous wasn’t something that happened a lot. Ever since they left Singapore three days ago, his soulmate was easily distracted and filled with nervous energy. He had tried getting Harry to talk to him, but the brunette kept insisting everything was alright. If it wasn’t for the bond, he might have worried that Harry was lying, but he knew he wasn’t. He just wished that Harry would talk to him about it, whatever it was.

            Whatever seemed to be causing the nerves hadn’t really interfered with their honeymoon. They had visited Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia since Singapore. Different place each day. The apparating was taking its toll on them a little bit but it was easily fixed with sleep and potions. Out of the three past days, Thailand had been his favorite.

            The forests were breathtaking, the temples were works of beauty and the elephants made him smile. They had found several snakes in the forests, some were ginormous. None of them quite had the personality of Sephtis, though. Actually, two of them had wanted to attack them for the ‘blasphemous’ use of a human speaking their language. The heat of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, was insane. He had to keep a constant flow of coolant spells on them. Heat did not look good with his complexion, it made his cheeks pink and sweat dampen his face. Nope, not to mention it made his skin burn. His creamy skin was too fragile for that kind of heat.

            The food though, was amazing. Rice was pretty popular all over, which wasn’t something he really ate a lot, but that would have to change. Because he fell in love with the taste of a lot of the food in Thailand. That wasn’t all he fell in love with, the people, everywhere they went there was always a smiling face. He was surprised at how easy going everyone was. The atmosphere was something that he had never quite experienced anywhere else. Draco really wanted to come back if they got another opportunity.

            He heard the sound of a key entering the locked door to their room. Harry had gone somewhere and wouldn’t tell him where. He sat up quickly and randomly opened the book on advanced Transfiguration that he was _supposed_ to be looking over. He barely had any time to adopt a bored nonchalance before the sight of his gorgeous soulmate breezed into the room.

            Harry took one look at Draco and snorted loudly. His heart was hammering and his palms were sweating but the sight of his husband pretending to study was enough to distract him.

            Draco frowned at the amusement in the bond. He cocked his head to the side as he tried to place it.

            “You aren’t fooling me.” Harry told him with his mouth twitching.

            Draco huffed. “I don’t know what you are talking…” He trailed off when he gazed back down at his book. _Fuck_. It was upside down. He looked up into amused green eyes. “Did you know that reading a book upside down triggers more brain activity and makes memory stronger?”

            Harry threw his head back and let out a laugh. “You are the only person I know that can bullshit facts and make them seem believable.”

            Draco gave up all pretenses and threw the book down on the bed. “It’s a gift.” He snarked.

            “I thought you were going to try and get an hour in while I was gone.”

            Draco winced slightly. “I tried, Harry. I really did!” He pouted and widened his eyes in what he hoped was a heart melting look.

            “That’s not fair.” Harry argued as he looked away from those begging eyes. “You know what that look does to me.”

            “What look, Harry?” Draco faked innocence.

            Harry shot him an unimpressed look. “Alright, I will let this one go.”

            Draco let out a whoop. “Does that mean we can go see the city now?” He frowned when Harry bit his lip and more nerves came from his husband. He watched Harry sit on the bed and look away from him. He crawled forward till he was on his knees right in front of him. Draco gently lifted Harry’s chin till he could see that beautiful face that he loved so much. “What is it?”

            Harry tried looking away but a warning squeeze from Draco’s hand made him reconsider. He looked into concerned grey eyes and melted. “I have been thinking about something for several days.”

            Draco nodded, this much he knew.

            “It was something that Joseph had mentioned and I couldn’t help but want that.” At Draco’s arched brows, he rushed to explain. He didn’t want the blonde to think it was something sexual, Joseph had said a lot of things that might make Draco misunderstand his intentions.

            “I- well… I wanted to…” He took a deep breath, trying to control his nerves. He wasn’t sure why he was so anxious, he knew that Draco wouldn’t turn him down. “I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me?”

            Draco dropped his hand in surprise. That had not been what he thought Harry was going to say. He wanted to point out that they were married, which kind of skipped the dating process but he realized that they hadn’t had that in any of their past lives. He never got to do anything public with Harland and for a long time they had run from his father in their second life.

            Date. Harry wanted to go on a date with him. The thought filled him with warmth. He had never been on a date before. He knew that Harry had gone on a date with Chang but it hadn’t ended well. Something he was happy about, not that he was going to mention it. He wasn’t even going to think of Weaslette. That was a black hole that he liked to pretend didn’t exist. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss.

            Harry wasn’t sure why it was taking so long for Draco to answer. Maybe his husband wasn’t wanting to do that? Perhaps Draco wasn’t interested in a date? “I have it all planned out. It took a couple days to set it all up. If you don’t want to, then I-”

            A finger to his lips stopped his sentence. Draco leaned forward as he released his digit. “I would love to go on a date with you, Harry.” He thought it was rather endearing that Harry thought he might say no. Silly. Harry could ask for the moon and he would find a way to give it to him. A date sounded wonderful.

            The tension that had been building left Harry in a relieved sigh. He was quickly filled with happiness. He couldn’t wait to get their date started. He was about to lean in and capture Draco’s lips but he was suddenly pushed over by his exuberant blonde getting out of the bed. “Where are you going?” Harry asked as he watched Draco run towards the bathroom.

            Draco paused halfway towards his destination to give Harry an incredulous look. “I have a hot date to prepare for. Perfection takes time, you know.” He said haughtily. He turned around immediately, so therefore he missed the tender look that Harry shot him. He felt it though. Draco stopped at the door to give one last look to his husband. Harry had laid down on his back and was grinning sappily at the ceiling. His breath caught in his throat at the wonder and joy in the bond. Sometimes the little things were important. He hadn’t thought something as small as a date would have affected Harry like this.

            “I love you.” Draco told him firmly with emotion.

            Harry lifted his head up. “I love you too.” He smiled tenderly at Draco, which caused the blonde to choke up in feelings again.

            “Hurry up, love.”

            Well there went the moment. Draco huffed internally before closing the door behind him.

* * *

 

            Harry wondered if not for the first time, what exactly Draco did in the bathroom. It took the man a long time to get ready. At least it used to. In the beginning when Draco had moved in with him, his soulmate would take forever in the bathroom. Until they grew more comfortable with each other and then Draco tended to be quick. He couldn’t even spot a difference, not that he was going to tell Draco that. The blonde had been pretty lax during the honeymoon, only taking a normal time getting ready. Except for right now. He checked the time and rolled his eyes. Twenty minutes. What on earth was Draco doing in there, painting a picture? It only took himself five minutes tops and that was pushing it. His bathroom experience required nothing more than a couple strokes of a brush, not that it looked like he brushed it, unfortunately, getting dressed and then brushing his teeth. That was the extent of his routine. He typically liked to shower at night or sometimes early when Draco was still sleeping. If he showered with his husband, it would turn into a lot more than getting clean.

            “I can feel your impatience.” Harry rolled his eyes at the muffled yell. He heard an odd sound coming from the bathroom. He furrowed his brows. Was that a blow dryer?

            “Ooo. I like this. Harry, they have air coming out of this thing. It’s hot though.” Harry snorted as he pictured Draco holding the blow dryer to his face.

            “What is this for? Is it supposed to be used after a shower? Am I to use this to dry my skin off?”

            “No. It is used on your hair.” Harry snickered slightly. He supposed it could be used to dry off after a shower but a towel would be much better.

            “Ohhh, how intriguing.” Draco mused as he played around with the muggle technology. He debated about trying it out. He checked the time before shrugging. Why not? It wasn’t like he had been in here too long.

            Harry contemplated taking a nap, he was positive that Draco was trying to kill him by making him wait so long. Patience wasn’t really one of his strong suits. He heard the click of the door knob and he sat up quickly. _Finally_.

            The witty retort that had been on his tongue, died out. He blinked rapidly as he took in Draco’s appearance. His husband was dressed in muggle clothes. Nice black dress trousers, a black button up vest and a white shirt underneath. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows giving a slight rumpled appearance to his overall dressed up look. What really captured his attention was the hair. Draco’s hair had obviously seen the use of the blow dryer. His normally slicked back hair was free and messy. His mouth went dry the longer he stared. Good lord, he was the luckiest person alive to have a husband who looked _that_ delectable.   

            When Draco looked down at him through his lashes, Harry wasn’t sure he had the capabilities to breathe anymore. “You look amazing.” The small flush of pink to his cheeks caused Harry’s heart to skip a beat.

            Draco hadn’t been sure about this look. Muggle clothes were getting easier to wear, especially since he had to wear them every day on the honeymoon. He didn’t mind them that much anymore, he just didn’t think he looked that good in them. Robes? That was easy, that was what he was used to. He knew that his arse looked good in any robe, but muggle clothes? He wasn’t too sure. The hair made him a little nervous. This hadn’t been the first time he had forgone his usual look, but it was the first time using ‘air’ to achieve that look.

            The way Harry was staring at him though, was erasing every one of his doubts. The admiration was clearly written on his lover’s face. He adopted a smirk. “You think so?”

            Harry narrowed his eyes at the deflection the smirk was attempting. Draco was the most confident and cocky person he had ever met, the doses of humble mixed in is what made him endearing. So seeing him unsure about his looks was different. He stood up and walked until his forehead was pressed against Draco’s.

            “You Mister Malfoy, are _the_ most beautiful person I have ever had the pleasure of coming across.”

            Draco could feel the heat radiating off of his face and he cursed Harry for making him feel like this. “You, my consort, are a flatterer.”

            Harry grinned. “A humble ruler such as yourself, must have honest praise given to him daily to maintain such a high ego.”

            He was rewarded with a freeing laugh, one that made Harry grin in response.

            “What a contradiction.” Draco mused as he smiled widely. “Can you be humble and have a high ego at the same time?”

            “You certainly do.” Harry pointed out.

            Draco arched a brow. “I don’t know if I should be offended or flattered by this.”

            “Flattered. Definitely flattered.” Harry told him as he looked to his own clothes. “I think I should change.”

            Draco held out a hand to stop him from moving. “Don’t you dare.” He argued. “I like what you have on.” Which was the truth. Harry was in blue jeans that hugged his arse in all the right places, the same places Draco was itching to touch. His shirt was a black T-shirt with a faded design that read, ‘Magic is real’. He had gotten Harry the shirt in the Philippines. The irony had been too good to pass up.

            “But you look so good and my clothes look too casual. I will look like a slob compared to you.”

            The anger storming in grey eyes made him want to take a step back, but he chose to stay still, even when Draco took a step forward.

            “Harry.” Draco knew that his tone was a little angry, but he couldn’t stop it. He had no idea where Harry would get a silly idea like that. “You look great. I don’t think it is too casual. Even if it was, who cares? This is our first date and you should wear whatever you want.” His eyes softened when he looked back over Harry’s clothes. “Besides, I think you look bloody fantastic. Makes me want to appreciate your body… thoroughly.”

            Harry rolled his eyes at the smirk that was bordering on a leer. “You always want to appreciate my body.” He retorted easily.

            “Can you blame me? You look ridiculously hot in everything. You could wear a plastic bin and still make me hot for you.”

            Harry snorted. “Interesting choice. Not this date but perhaps our second date I will try it out.”

            Draco shook his head as he entwined their fingers. “Where to?” Harry apparated them out of the room without a second thought.

            “You could have warned me!” Draco chided as he took a moment to calm his racing heart.

            Harry arched a disbelieving brow. “How many times have you done that to me?” Draco waved the statement away with his hand. “Those are details that are irrelevant.”

            A snort was his reply and Draco just shrugged. “I may have done it a time or two but that is it.”

            Harry blinked at his slightly delusional husband. “If that is true, then I am a Grindylow in disguise.” He deadpanned.

            “You know…” Draco trailed off with a serious look on his face. “You could be.” Harry tried to hide his smile but he knew by the way Draco’s eyes lit up that he had failed. “I may have to do a thorough examination to make sure that you are in fact not a Grindylow.”

            Harry shook his head. “Would this examination require sex?”

            “The best do.” Draco told him seriously.

            “Wouldn’t a healer be better experienced in this type of examination?” He asked as they started walking.

            Draco’s mouth dropped open before he realized that Harry was teasing. “I could be anything you want.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “A healer, Auror, teacher, or even one of those muggle strippers.”

            Harry almost tripped over his own feet. “Fuck.” He swore. “Don’t say things like that in public.”

            “Why?” There was a wicked smirk that contradicted the innocence to Draco’s eyes. “I love seeing you so deliciously flustered.”

            A low groan escaped Harry’s mouth. “You are trying to kill me.” He hissed. If Draco didn’t stop then he might have to take him back to the hotel room.

            Draco had been about to tell Harry how wrong he was but the sounds of people stopped him. He looked around and his eyes widened. “Where are we?” He whispered. Up a head was some floating train compartment. At least that is what it looked like to him.

            “This is called the, _Transbordador Aeri De Port_. It is a muggle technology that will show us a view of Barcelona from the air. It takes us across the city. It is a sky tram.”

            Draco breathed out in awe. He was intrigued that muggles had built something like this. Since the moment they arrived, he had been itching to see the city but he didn’t think they could do it from the air. Was this like a muggle version of flying? Was this a muggle broom? He noticed that they were now in a line to get in. He hoped that the flying train compartment wouldn’t be too packed with people. He didn’t want to be confined on a muggle contraption with too many people.

            “It’s safe, right?” Draco wondered. He trusted Harry, he just didn’t trust muggle technology.

            “Yes.” Harry assured him confidently. “It has been running since 1931.”

            Draco sagged in relief. He was even more impressed with the muggles who built it. That was a long time ago.

            “Well they did have to close it down for war at one point, but it reopened in 1963 and has been opened since then.”

            Now, Draco wasn’t so sure about this. 1931 sounded much better than 1963. He trusted his husband though, so he just nodded his agreement.

            Once Harry had handed over tickets, they got into the tram. Draco looked around and breathed in relief when he noticed that there was only about 10 other people. That wasn’t too bad considering that a sign said 20 could fit. He was questioning the ability to fit much more than what was already in the compartment. It was a tight fit. He could tell that some people were looking at them but he didn’t bother to care.

            “Mam, be careful.” Draco looked behind him to see an older lady being helped by the attendant that would ride with them. He turned back to pay attention to Harry. “Mam, be careful.” He thought he might have heard the man say it a couple more times but he tuned them out. The city was calling his attention.

            “Mommy they are so pretty!” A little voice could be heard over the other people in the compartment.

            Something about the sentence stuck out to Harry. He looked around to see who had said that. He smiled softly when a little girl no more than five was pointing out the window. She had sunglasses on, blocking out his vision of most of her face. The glasses were probably her mother’s, since they were too large for her.

            Draco stepped behind Harry and wrapped his arms around him, sufficiently distracting him from the little girl. Draco felt the way his husband relaxed instantly and it brought a smile to his face. The muggle in charge told them that they would be taking off, no sooner than that, and they were on their way. He breathed out in awe at the sights before him. The sea was one side of the window and the city on the opposite window. It was breathtaking.

            “You see that large building off in the distance?” Harry pointed.

            Draco narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t really make out a whole lot of the building other than that it was huge. He could make out four tall pillars, that must signify something. The design of the building was interesting and something that he hadn’t quite seen before.

            “That is the Sagrada Familia. It has been in construction since 1882.” Harry told him with a smile. He could feel the disbelief in the bond.

            “Why isn’t it finished then?” Draco was confused, that was an incredibly long time for a building to remain unfinished.

            Harry shrugged. “Money played a big role in it. Not to mention that a lot of the city is in divide about the building. Some think that it will compete with Barcelona’s Cathedral.”

            Draco hummed in thought. “How do you know this?” As far as he knew, Harry wasn’t an expert in the history of Barcelona. He arched a brow when he felt embarrassment in the bond.

            “I did some research and fact checking for the date. I wanted to be able to tell you a little bit about the city.”

            Draco kissed the side of Harry’s neck in reply. He thought the whole thing was rather adorable. “Well that was sweet of you.”

            “Over there, is the Cathedral.” Draco looked not too far from the Sagrada Familia to see another beautiful building. This one looked more like what he thought a cathedral would look like, it was still a beautiful design. “I like the Sagrada Familia better, even if it is unfinished.” He tore his eyes away from the buildings to take a look at the windows behind him to see the ocean. He loved that he was able to see both.

            “Harry, look, it’s our hotel.”

            Harry smiled at the excitement in the bond. He looked behind him to see that Draco was right. Their hotel was so close to the beach that it had surprised the both of them last night. It had been surprisingly easy enough to get Draco to agree to a muggle hotel when the view was that gorgeous.

            “You two are on vacation?”

            They both looked over to see that an older couple was looking at them. They both exchanged wary feelings in the bond, typically the most judgmental people they have encountered have been older. This couple had to be approaching their eighties.

            “We are on our honeymoon.” Draco told them with a fake smile and his eyes narrowed. He wasn’t sure how this conversation was going to go, he just hoped that they stayed relatively nice. He could tell by their accents that they weren’t from Barcelona. He wasn’t able to pin point it but it might have been Swedish.

            Surprise flickered across the old lady’s features but the other couple still had on a friendly smile.

            “Married so young.” The old lady said in a soft voice.

            Normally a statement like that would have caused Draco to bristle but he detected a wistful quality to her tone.

            “Ormar and I were married at sixteen. It is our 66th anniversary. We decided to see a little bit of the world while we still can.” She told them with a happy smile.

            Harry was positive a piece of himself melted. He wanted that. He wanted to be married to Draco for 66 years. It sounded like a dream come true. He could see it too, could see them in their old age and being madly in love still. An older Draco with greying hair but still held in place, those beautiful grey eyes wiser with age, laugh lines among those pretty lips. Harry loved the way Draco looked right now but he knew without a doubt that he would love his husband’s looks many years from now too.

            Ormar looked at his wife in confusion. “What?” He said louder than necessary.

            Draco arched a brow. He watched the lady pat her husband’s arm in reassurance. “He is hard of hearing, price of getting older.” She explained before leaning up to her husband’s ear. “They are on their honeymoon.”

            They watched the pleased smile light up the old man’s face. “Oh, how wonderful. I am sure you will love Barcelona. This is our first time to the city but we really like it.”

            Harry could tell that they were attracting some attention from the other passengers, the man was pretty loud with his voice but he didn’t mind.

            “My name is Ormar and this is my wife Agnes.” Ormar told them with a smile.

            Draco held out his hand to the man. “My name is Draco and this is my husband Harry.” He told him a little louder than he normally would have. He could feel some extra eyes on them but he ignored them. By now the whole compartment heard his announcement. He wasn’t about to see how they reacted, the lovely older couple was pleasant enough that it didn’t matter if anyone else disapproved.

            “Such gentlemen.” Agnes praised as Harry shook Ormar’s hand.

            Draco smiled at her. “My father would be rather upset if I wasn’t.” Which was an understatement. His father had instilled many teachings to him. If someone was nice to you, especially first meetings such as this, it was just common courtesy to respond in kind.

            “I raised our children the same way.” Ormar told them firmly.

            “How many kids do you have?” Harry wondered curiously. He loved the thought of this couple and their love. He was intrigued by them.

            “Ten. Six boys and four girls.” Agnes answered with her eyes sparkling.

            Draco couldn’t imagine having that many children but he adored the way Ormar smiled widely. The appeal was there.

            “Which led to thirty-two grandchildren and so far, sixteen great grandchildren. Our first twice great grandchild will be born in a couple months.”

            Harry let out a low whistle. That was one giant family.

            “Family gatherings must be a handful.” Draco mused. He knew that they themselves would not be having that many kids but combined with the quartet’s children that they will one day have; the family gatherings will probably be more than he can handle.

            Both Agnes and Ormar let out little laughs. “You have no idea.”

            The rest of the ride was spent talking about the other couple’s lives and their children. Ormar at one point had pulled out his wallet, which was filled with every single one of their grandchildren. Draco wished the photos moved, he would be able to see more of their personality that way, but this was still nice. They hadn’t been joking when it came to how many there were. He couldn’t have kept track of the names if he had tried. “They are all really beautiful.” He told them when he had been shown the last photo.

            “Thank you.” Agnes told Draco with a soft smile. “I would say that our family is one of our greatest accomplishments. Most people now a days will say their careers or their schooling is their greatest accomplishment. Not me. It wouldn’t matter where life took me, as long as I had my family by my side, I will be alright.” She paused to stare at the two young men with their fingers entwined. “Make sure that you always put each other first. The rest will fall in line after that.”

            “We will.” They both promised. “And thank you.” Harry hesitated slightly before continuing. “For being understanding about us.” He could tell that Agnes didn’t understand what he was trying to say but Ormar did.

            “Nonsense young man.” Ormar chided gently. “My hearing may be going and my eyes are getting weaker by day, but even to an old man such as myself, I can clearly see the love between the both of you.” He looked between Harry and Draco again. “That is what matters in the end, isn’t it? Love. That is the key to not only a successful marriage but also a happy life.”

            Draco wished the world could be filled with Ormars. 

            The slight jerking of their tram let them all know that the end of the ride was approaching. It should have bothered them that they missed most of the view but neither boy was upset. They both felt like they had walked out with something more meaningful than a tourist attraction.

            Right before they parted ways with Agnes and Ormar, Draco reached out to give them both a hug. When he got to Ormar he bit his lip in indecision, he knew he was about to break _several_ laws. International ones as well. He could potentially face more than a fine if he was found out. He shoved aside his worry and pushed as much healing magic as he could muster, into Ormar’s body. He knew that without a direct spell being uttered, that it might not be as successful but he had to try. He had to do something.

            “It was nice meeting you.” He said low enough that he knew Ormar wouldn’t have heard him _before_ he had pushed his magic inside of him.

            “You too young man, you too.”

            Draco breathed a sigh of relief that it seemed to have worked. He smiled warmly at the duo before he entwined his fingers with Harry’s again and walked away.

            “You, Draco Malfoy, are the sweetest person that I have ever met.” Harry whispered as he pressed a kiss to his temple. He hadn’t thought about healing Ormar, so he was pleasantly pleased by Draco’s actions.

            “Shh.” Draco looked all around, as if he was worried anyone will have caught him being nice. “You will give away my secret.” His tone of voice suggested that it would be a travesty if he was ever found out. 

            Harry grinned widely. “Your secret is safe with me. I shall never reveal the best of you.” He repeated the words he had heard Dumbledore tell Severus. Only now, he was finding humor in them. 

            Draco narrowed his eyes. There was something in there that he wasn’t in on the loop, he didn’t like it. “I am a snarky snake. I have to keep up appearances.”

            Harry thought that Draco was fooling himself. Yes, he was a snarky snake but his lover was a cuddly bear underneath all of that. He wondered if this was some kind of reputation that the Slytherin was clinging to. Horribly, by the way. If anyone saw the way Draco dotes on Harry, they wouldn’t take stock in his ‘reputation’.

            “If you say so.”

            Draco opened his mouth to refute that but he was pulled into a side alley. Harry’s mouth was on his instantly. He immediately melted into the kiss and eagerly opened his mouth to allow Harry’s tongue entrance.

            When Harry knew that his husband was sufficiently distracted, he apparated them out of there. Draco knew that it had been a distraction tactic but he didn’t care, he just thrusted his tongue against Harry’s, until he was chasing it into the brunette’s mouth. If Harry wanted to use him, then he was going to have to try harder than that.

            Harry broke away from the kiss panting and turned on. He groaned when Draco pushed him away with a sexy smirk. “Feel free to kiss me like that anytime you like.” Draco told him with an exaggerated lick of his lips.

            Harry should have realized that his plan would have backfired, honestly.

            “Where are we?” Draco asked as he looked around. He realized that they had apparated into another alley. He grabbed Harry’s hand and pulled them out and onto the sidewalk. He looked at the building across from them with interest. The outside was painted with painted fish and water. “L’Aquarium de Barcelona.” Draco read the name of the place that they were no doubt about to enter. “We are going to an aquarium?”

            Harry could detect excitement in the bond and he was relieved. “Yes, we are.”

            Draco could hardly contain himself. Ever since the aviary in Singapore, he had been dying to see more things like that. An aquarium seemed really intriguing. He barely had the patience to wait in line and was not happy with the annoying children crying around them.

            The design of the inside while they waited to begin, was entertaining. It had a subtle foreshadowing of what to come and it pleased Draco. The walls had pretty fish painted all around, there was seaweed strategically placed above the stairs and the atmosphere was just pleasant. When they _finally_ began a tour, he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.  

            _So_ many fish. So many sharks. So much sea life. 35 aquarium tanks and long rows of underwater tunnels to view the aquatic creatures. Draco was listening to the tour guide as his eyes were glued to the swimming animals on the other side of the glass. He almost wished he could swim with them. Almost. His experience with Finneus in the boat was still fresh in his mind. He didn’t trust the water, even in muggle controlled areas.

            “Penguins, Harry!”

            Harry smiled at the excitement in the bond. This was something that he would never grow tired of. Never stop appreciating the wonder of their bond. He loved to be able to feel what Draco was feeling. He loved that Draco was happy. This was something that he would strive to always make his husband feel. He leaned over to kiss Draco’s cheek lightly.

            Draco closed his eyes at the sweet kiss. He entwined their fingers as he pushed a wave of love through the bond. “Thank you.” He whispered. “I am having a wonderful time.”

            “So am I.” Harry whispered back. He was so in love with this man, it wasn’t even funny.

            When they came to a floor to ceiling glass display, Draco’s eyes had bugged out. The floor beneath them was see through and he could see the fish below. The sides and the ceiling were the same way. He had a momentary panic. Was this safe? Did the muggles have things under control? What if the glass broke under all the water pressure? When Harry squeezed his hand, he realized that he was alright. He was safe. Once he was able to get past that, he realized how beautiful it all was. The aquatic creatures were in every viewpoint and he loved it.

            “What is going on up there?” Draco asked when they came to an area that was pretty crowded. More so by children but there were a fair number of adults too.

            Harry narrowed his eyes as they got closer. “They are allowing people to pet stingrays.”

            A gasp drew his attention to Draco. “Like actual touching?” He couldn’t tell if Draco was excited or horrified. He could feel both in the bond. He arched a brow. “Would you like to pet them?”

            Draco bit his lip in indecision. He wasn’t sure about this. Weren’t stingrays deadly? If they were allowing people to pet them, then that must mean it was safe. This was probably his only opportunity to do this, though. “Only if you do it with me.” He countered.

            Harry’s eyes softened. “Of course, love.”

            They waited patiently for the current children to either finish or move aside so that they could have a go at it.

            Harry watched the hesitant way that Draco put his hand in the tank. It was cute to see the blonde pull his hand away before actually touching them, just to start the process all over again. “It’s okay.” He assured his husband. He decided to emphasize this by being the first one to touch the stingrays.

            Draco felt out the bond, trying to see if there were any odd feelings from Harry. When he felt nothing out of the ordinary, he took a deep breath and pushed his hand in the water.

            “ _Oh.”_ Draco breathed out in surprise. “It’s all slimy.” He wasn’t sure he liked the feeling. He glared when Harry let out a laugh.

            “Of course it is. They live under the water, it is going to feel like that.”

            Draco huffed at the obvious statement. “I know that. I was just stating the obvious.”

            Harry lifted his wet hand and cupped Draco’s cheek in retaliation.

            “Gross!” Draco argued as he leaned away from the wet hand. “They poop in that water!”

            Harry let out a surprised laugh. He wasn’t the only one either. He looked around and spotted a girl about their age laughing at Draco’s statement. He didn’t like the way the she was staring at his husband.

            Draco frowned at the odd jealousy. What was going on with Harry? He stopped petting the slimy stingrays to see what the fuss was about. It wasn’t hard, all he had to do was follow the path of his husband’s death glare. His eyes widened at the flirtatious smile being sent his way. Girls… they were a mystery to him. One that he didn’t care to solve. He never really had girls look at him like that, well he might’ve, but he had too much to worry about in the past. Not to mention he had been rather… caught up in Harry for a long time.

            He had no time to muster up the ability to care about some girl looking at him like that. He strategically used his wet hand to grab the back of Harry’s neck to lean him forward so that he could slam their lips together in a possessive and gentle kiss. He would have taken it further, like he had done outside but he didn’t want to attract even more attention to them.

            Draco was pleased to see that his soulmate was dazed and distracted from the kiss. He looked behind them and smirked when he noticed that the girl was gone. “There, my great consort. I have staked my claim on you, for all to see.”

            That was great and all but Harry wanted more. He drew Draco in for another kiss. He smirked internally at the surprised noise the blonde made. The surprise quickly melted into satisfaction.

            “I have staked my claim on you, my liege, as well.” Harry whispered against his lips.

            They looked around and noticed that some people were looking at them but the majority were enamored with the stingrays. It was the last point of the attraction.

            Harry and Draco made their way out of the last room and into the exit. “That was so cool.” Draco told him firmly as Harry once again had them go into an alley. He knew that they were about to apparate out but he chose to kiss the brunette again. This was the best way to travel by far.

            Harry couldn’t help but keep the kiss going, even after they landed. Draco’s lips always felt amazingly soft against his own.

            “Eww.”

            They broke apart to see a little boy with his parents walking by the alley. They both hoped that they hadn’t been caught apparating in. By the look on the little boy’s face, they would say no.

            Draco waited until the family walked away before snorting. “I don’t know if it was because we are two boys, or if it was the act of kissing itself that caused the boy to dislike us.”

            “Probably the act itself.” Harry mused. A lot of children weren’t fans of public displays of affection. He linked his arm with Draco’s and guided the pair of them out of the alley.

            “This was the closest that I could get us to the restaurant.” Harry told him apologetically. “We will have to walk a couple blocks.”

            Draco kissed his cheek. “That is fine.” He assured him. “It will be nice to see parts of the city.”

            It was getting close to sunset as they made their way down the sidewalk. “I have one more thing planned for after dinner.” Draco smiled at that. He couldn’t wait to find out. He breathed deeply, inhaling the different smells that the city had to offer. He could smell distant food being grilled in the distance, he could smell the plants on the rooftop of the buildings, could make out a brief hint of rain as well.

            “Here we are.” Harry told him with a tug in the right direction. “I made sure to find a place that spoke English for the tourists.” They still didn’t want to use the translator spells on the muggles.

            The restaurant had a section outside underneath beautiful colored umbrellas. The colors ranged from bright yellows, greens and blues. Draco instantly loved the place. The restaurant was a little busy, the only downside so far. They weren’t big fans of crowds.

            The hostess noticed them immediately and informed them it would be only a couple minutes wait time.

            “Well that isn’t too bad.” Draco whispered as he snuggled into Harry’s side. “It could be a bigger wait.”

            Harry made a noise of agreement as he wrapped his arms around his lover. “I love you.”

            Draco smiled softly before kissing Harry’s neck. “I love you too, angel.”

            “I think you look more the part of an angel than me.”

            There was a pause before Draco snorted in disbelief. “You think _I_ am an angel?”

            Harry took in the soft blonde hair, the way the glinting sunset made the hair shine. If he used a little imagination, he could almost picture a silver shining halo to match the beautiful grey eyes. He looked at the pale skin that had an almost ethereal glow in the light, he took in the gorgeous face that always took his breath away. “Yeah.” He whispered. “I do.”

            He lifted his head up to stare at Harry curiously. He could hear the sincerity to the words and the emotion in the bond. “Well you would be wrong.” He didn’t feel like an angel. Angels don’t join deranged mad men. Angels don’t plot to kill people. Angels aren’t cowards. An angel was someone the complete opposite of who he was. An angel was someone like Harry. Someone who always did the right thing. Someone who knew what they stood for and it was always a worthy cause. Someone who was good, wholesome and perfect. That was an angel. Not him, but Harry, yes, Harry was the angel. Even in their past life, Noah had thought the same things about Ethan. Harry would always be his angel. His only thing that made his life feel like a heaven on Earth.

            “How about you let me be the judge of that?” Harry asked with a soft smile. He knew that Draco tended to think negatively about himself and he wished he wouldn’t. “You are an angel to _me_. No amount of arguing will change what I think about you, love.”

            Draco sighed. He knew that he couldn’t change Harry’s mind. He actually didn’t want to, he loved that Harry saw something in him that made it all worth it. “Alright.” He conceded graciously.

            “Excuse me.” A voice interrupted them. “Your table is ready. If you will follow me.”

            They quickly followed the hostess to the section outside, which was just fine with them. They preferred to still be able to see the city.

            “Your waitress will be right with you.” The hostess assured them before walking away.

            Harry looked at the menu with a sigh. The whole thing was in Spanish. Or possibly Catalan, he wasn't entirely sure which one. Not that that was a surprise. They were in Barcelona after all. He looked around briefly before waving his hand over the words so that he could understand them. He smiled when they appeared to be in English.

            “Good evening. My name is Estefania and I will be taking care of you tonight.”

            They both smiled at her warmly. Harry’s smile faltered slightly at the suspicious look she was giving them.

            “Can I interest you into sampling some of our finer wines?”

            Harry could feel the interest in the bond but he rolled his eyes. They were not old enough for Barcelona laws to drink. “No thank you. Just water for me.”

            Draco mumbled that he would take water too, albeit a little sadly. He rather thought wine sounded good.

            When the girl walked away, Harry reached out to grab his hand. “We can drink at the hotel.” He promised. “We could have some of the Elven wine in one of your bags.”

            Harry shook his head when Draco’s face cleared right up. “I like this plan.” Draco ignored the mumbled ‘of course you do.’

            “What are you getting?” Harry asked as he bit his lip. He wasn’t sure what sounded good to him. He had never eaten anything like this before.

            “I have no fucking clue. I was just going to close my eyes and point randomly.”

            Harry snorted loudly. “Alright. Works for me.”

            When Harry opened his eyes to see what he had chosen, he noticed that the waitress was back and looking at them oddly. He flushed a little. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. A tad embarrassing.

            “Did you know what you would like to order? Or perhaps you would like a couple more minutes.”

            Draco doubted all the time in the world was going to help him decide. “No we are ready.” When she looked at him expectantly, he looked at the menu and picked the first thing he saw. “I would like the, _Botifarra amb mongetes._ ” He completely butchered the pronunciation but she seemed to get what he was trying to say.

            “I would like the, _Sopa de Galets._ ” Harry mumbled.

            Estefania smiled. “That is my favorite. Typically a dish eaten around Christmas but we started putting it on the menu earlier than normal this year.”

            Harry hoped that his noise of agreement would suffice. He had no idea that it was a Christmas dish. He could feel amusement from the bond and he had to restrain from glaring.

            “Are you both just passing through or are we celebrating anything special tonight?”

            “It’s our first date.” Draco piped up with a big grin. He watched the girl’s smile lessen a little as she looked at his hand curiously.

            “Well hopefully tonight will be the first of many.” She told them before turning away.

            Harry narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward. “Was it just me or did she seem less friendly after you said that?”

            “It wasn’t just you.” Draco told him a little grumpily. “Perhaps she has a thing against two people in love.”

            Harry smiled at the indignant tone of his lover. “Or maybe she is just jealous.” He knew that was probably a long shot but he figured it would perk Draco right up. He had guessed correctly.

            “Yeah, you are probably right.” Draco sat up straighter with a fire to his eyes. “Who wouldn’t be jealous of all this?” He waved his hand over his body. “I mean you get to come home to this every day. I would be jealous if I was her too.”

            Harry couldn’t stop the chuckle from releasing. “I take what I said to you earlier back. You have zero subtlety and not an ounce of humble inside of you.”

            An exaggerated sigh was his response. “I keep telling you that no one wants a humble ruler.”

            Harry lifted one of Draco’s hands and brought it to his lips. “That you do, perhaps I am just a terrible listener?”

            Draco tried not to get flustered by the sweet gesture but he was failing. “One of your duties as my consort is to be a great listener. There is no room for failure.” Draco’s breath caught in his throat when Harry looked up at him through his lashes.

            “What will you do to me if I fail, my liege?”

            Another soft kiss to his hand had his mind blanking. “Erm… what?” He breathed out inelegantly.

            “Will you punish me if I fail?”

            The word punish mixed with that soft mouth on Draco’s skin was sending certain parts of him into overdrive. “Yes.” There was breathy quality to his tone that normally would have made him wince, but he was too far gone to care at the moment.

            “What kind of punishment?” Harry shivered at the thought. This was not how he had planned the dinner to go. He blamed Draco’s natural sex appeal for that.

            “Oh Merlin.” Draco whispered as his mind flashed with fantasy after fantasy.

            A cough at a neighboring table broke the moment. Harry looked behind Draco, in the direction the cough came from. He winced when he realized that their conversation was being overheard by a father with a little baby. He looked to Draco. “Perhaps we should finish this talk later.”

            “Oh thank god.” A muffled whisper could be heard.

            Draco shook with silent laughter as he tried to keep quiet.

            “Here you are.” They looked up to see the waitress returning with their food. Harry was glad that it came out so quickly, he didn’t think he could control himself to tone it down otherwise.

            Harry looked at his food curiously. When he thought of a Christmas dish, this sure wasn’t it. The dish appeared to be some kind of meatball soup, only with one giant meatball in the middle of the broth and noodles. It smelled delicious though, his stomach was growling in anticipation.

            Draco wasn’t sure what he was looking at. It was a giant sausage and some kind of beans. He was hungry enough to eat himself, so this wouldn’t be a problem. Besides, it smelled decent.

            “Is there anything else that I can get you?”

            They shook their heads in reply. “No thank you.” Draco told her kindly, even though he wasn’t sure he liked her.

            Harry closed his eyes in delight when he took a bite of the meatball. It was spicy but so delicious. He moaned as he tasted many different herbs dancing on his tongue. He opened his eyes to see Draco’s fork paused in midair with his mouth open.

            “What?”

            Draco blinked rapidly. “You can’t be making noises like that and expect me not to react!” He shifted in his seat a little uncomfortably. “That sounded like the same noise you make when I bend-” He stopped talking when he heard a choked noise from behind him. Right, he had to remember to keep his conversation parental friendly. He huffed a little at the sheepish look in those gorgeous green eyes.

            “It is really good.” Harry tried excusing his behavior. “Do you want to try some?”

            Draco smiled as he shook his head. “No, I will be fine with whatever it is that I ordered.” He already couldn’t remember the title. He took a bite a little hesitantly before humming in surprise. “You know it kind of tastes like bangers and mash. Just with beans instead.”

            Harry arched a brow. “You eat bangers and mash?” He asked doubtfully. He figured that would be too muggle for a Malfoy heir.

            “I have had it occasionally.” Draco shrugged. “It wasn’t at the Manor.”

            Harry smirked. He knew it. There wasn’t a chance that Lucius would have let Draco eat bangers and mash. He pointed to Draco’s plate with his spoon. “Is it any good?”

            “Mhm. I don’t know if I would get it again but it is pretty good.”

            The meal passed pleasantly. At some point, Draco had entwined their left hands on top of the table. He was enjoying their date immensely. They would have most likely have done all of this anyways, but it being titled as a date made it all that much better.

            “How was it?” Estefania asked with a small smile. Harry could tell that it didn’t reach her eyes. She was just doing her job.

            “It was really good. Better than I thought.” Draco told her with a grin.

            She laughed. “I know what you mean. Anytime I go out of the country, trying new things becomes a chore.”

            Harry shared a smile with his husband. “We are on our honeymoon, so trying new things has been a fun experience.” He thought back to when they were in the Philippines. They had sampled a dish called _Sinigang._ Draco had not liked it one bit. The meal made his stomach queasy until they were able to make some potions to counteract the nausea. Then the following day when they were in Malaysia, there was a dish called _Singgang_ which was nearly the same thing. He laughed internally when he remembered the way Draco’s eyes had widened and he had taken off quickly at the sight of the meal. Harry looked up and could tell by the narrowing of silver eyes that Draco had figured out what was amusing him.

            “ _Oh.”_ The surprise in her tone drew both of them to her. “You are married to _each other_.”

            Draco frowned at the statement. Duh. Who else would they be married to?

            “In that case, could I interest you in some dessert? It will be on the house.”

            They were curious about why she was a lot friendlier than before but they weren’t going to turn down free food.

            When she disappeared, Draco spoke up. “What is up with her?”

            Harry tilted his head to the side as he thought back through their encounter with her. “She got less friendly when you told her it was our first date.” He pointed out. His eyes widened. “You don’t think she thought we are having an affair, do you? I mean normal people go on dates before they get married.” The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. To him, he would have been confusing if someone told him they were on their first date but that person was already married.

            Draco scoffed. “Normal is overrated.” Harry had to agree with him on that. “Besides, who _announces_ that they are cheating on their spouse like that? We would have been stupid if we were having an affair with each other.”

            They could see Estefania returning. “Here you are. _Crema Catalana._ ” She laid the dessert between them with two spoons. “Hopefully you enjoy that.” This time the smile reached her eyes and Harry wished she could have been this nice the whole time.

            Draco looked to the dessert with interest. “It kind of looks like a _Crème Brulee_.” He took a bite and hummed in delight. “It doesn’t taste like one though. I don’t think this is a cooked dessert.”

            Harry took a bite and moaned again. He couldn’t help it. “I taste cinnamon and I think lemon.”

            Draco was once again distracted by the delicious noises his husband was releasing.

            “I can’t eat anymore.” Harry told him. “I am too stuffed.” He noticed that Draco hadn’t taken more than one bite. He rolled his eyes at the glazed look in his soulmate’s eyes.

            Draco shook himself from his roaming imaginative mind to see that Harry was looking at him in amusement. “Did you say something?”

            Harry laughed warmly. “Goodness you are a horny mess.” Draco smiled sheepishly. “Can you blame me? You look divine and the noises you make are positively sinful.”

            Harry blushed. He didn’t think he looked ‘divine’ but the truth in the bond showed that Draco believed so.

            When the waitress came back with the bill, they quickly paid. “I have one last thing to show you.” Harry told him in excitement. “It’s within walking distance.” He took off at a brisk pace, making sure Draco was right behind him.

            Draco had to jog a little to keep up. “Harry, baby, slow down.” When he was able to catch up, he paused nearly mid step.

            “Woah.” Draco breathed out. “It’s beautiful.” He was staring at a giant fountain up a head. There was already a large crowd. Music was coming from somewhere they couldn't see, the fountain changed colors with the tempo of the music. The colors ranged from the whole rainbow and many shades in between.

            The sight was even prettier than the travel agent he had spoken to mentioned. Harry nodded in agreement before entwining their fingers and pulling Draco forward, trying to find a better spot to look at the fountain. "They call it the _Font Magica_." The magic fountain.

            They didn’t get too close because a breeze was blowing the water around. Neither one of them fancied getting wet.

            The songs started out as a mix of Spanish songs. Someone in the crowd said they were classical pieces but neither one of them could tell. They both had gotten used to the beats when it suddenly changed into a mix of Eighties songs. Neither one of them knew much muggle music so they just listened and watched the water. Some people began dancing around the fountain when the songs switched back to the classical Spanish melodies.

            “They are really good.” Draco pointed to a couple who were twirling around without a care in the world.

            “I can dance like that.” Harry couldn’t even say it with a straight face.

            Draco snorted before letting out guffaws of laughter. “Oh Merlin, I wish the quartet could have heard you say that.” Harry rested his head on Draco’s shoulder. “I don’t. That would mean that they tagged along on our date.”

            “You are right. That doesn’t sound appealing.” Draco muttered as he thought about the insane foursome crashing their date. “Do you want to stick around for another round of songs?”

            Harry considered the question. He wouldn’t mind sticking around but he also wanted to spend some time with Draco in their room as well. “I would like to go back to the hotel and maybe have some of that wine?”

            Draco smiled warmly. “Sounds like a plan.” They walked to the nearest alley and this time, Draco apparated them. Harry looked around and noticed that they were delusioned. He hadn’t felt Draco spell them at all. He waved away the spells when he saw that no one was in the parking lot.  

            They walked into the building swinging their hands back and forth. “I had a great time today.” Draco whispered when they were right in front of their door.  

            Harry cupped Draco’s cheek. “So did I.” He kept his voice a whisper as well.

            “So, Mister Malfoy, do you think you would want to go on a second date with me?” Draco asked with a cheeky grin.

            Harry arched his brows. “I was kind of hoping you would invite me back to your place.”

            A loud gasp answered his statement. “I don’t know what kind of guy you take me for, but I do not sleep with people on the first date.” Draco told him with his hand covering his chest in a dramatic pose.

            “I apologize. A classy guy such as yourself wouldn’t dream of sleeping with me so quickly.” Harry bit his lip to stop from grinning.

            “Actually.” Draco began in a regretful tone. “I am afraid Mister Malfoy that I will not be able to attend any further dates with you.”

            Harry furrowed his brows. His first instinct was to be worried but he could only feel happiness in the bond. “Why is that?” Draco smiled a wide smile that took his breath away.

            “I am married. Happily married, I might add.” Draco grinned widely. “I fear I may have led you on. I cannot in good conscious go on dates with you. I am madly in love with the best man I have ever known.” He placed his hand on Harry’s cheek. “I love him.”

            The emotion in Draco’s voice caused Harry’s heart to beat faster.

            “He is everything I am not and so much more.”

            Harry blinked rapidly to keep control of his emotions. “Draco.” He whispered. “Fuck.” He stepped forward and pressed his lips against Draco’s in a fierce kiss.         

            Draco was pressed up against the door. He entangled his fingers through Harry’s thick locks as his mouth was invaded by a wicked tongue. “I love you too, Draco. So much.” Harry whispered before capturing Draco in another heated kiss.

            Draco couldn’t remember if he had the key to the room or if Harry did. He ended up waving his hand and unlocking it magically. He didn’t have time to play muggle. “Let’s take this inside.”

            “I thought you were too classy to sleep with me on the first date?”

            Draco glared at the amused man. “Shut up or I will fuck you in the hallway.”

            Harry shivered at the threat. There was only confidence in the bond. His husband meant business. As he walked past the blonde into their room, he couldn’t help but tease him. “Ooo Mister Malfoy such a dirty mouth. My poor virgin ears can’t handle it.”

            Draco snorted. “Virgin my arse.” He retorted with a roll of his eyes. “But if you want to play around, I can take your virginity again.”

            Harry stopped in his tracks. “Well… things just got a lot more interesting.”

            Draco closed the door with a snap. “Oh, you have no idea.”   

**(*)**

"Stay right there." Draco demanded as he stepped to the bed to sit down. "Strip." He told the brunette. Harry was standing right in front of Draco and it was causing the blonde to lose some focus as each flash of skin began to show.

             Harry loved the commanding tone. It made him want to listen. Orders typically made him want to rebel, it was instinct of having no control in his life. Years of following Dumbledore's orders blindly, left him with a bad taste in his mouth when it came to authority. Draco's voice though... there was something about the tone that made him ache to listen. Perhaps it was because he knew how this was going to end. He knew that this would end in the both of them being satisfied in _many_ ways. Perhaps he could listen to Draco because it was a calculated measure. There was no mystery in what was about to happen. He would follow Draco to the ends of the earth, that included following his orders from time to time.

             Harry slowly lifted his T-shirt up over his abs, he stared into lust blown silver eyes the whole time. He wanted to just yank the shirt off and get naked but he liked the idea of teasing his lover. Draco never said how fast he had to get naked, just said to strip. That to him seemed like a rookie mistake for his Slytherin husband. He was going to exploit this mistake happily.

             As soon as the wretched shirt was off of his gorgeous man, Draco ran his hands reverently up the golden skin. He smirked at the healing hickeys that adorned his lover's body. "My beautiful masterpiece needs some retouching. Wouldn't want all of this to go away." He whispered before leaning forward and mouthing along a faded red ring.

             Harry let out a low moan when that wonderful tongue came into play as well. He loved it when Draco did this. Loved that Draco felt the need to mark him. The possessive hickeys sent a flash of arousal through him.

             "You like that, Harry?" Draco mouthed right over one of Harry's nipples. "You like my mouth on you? You like my marks on your body?"

             "Y-yes." Harry stuttered when Draco twirled his tongue around a nipple before sucking it into his mouth. When Draco hummed, Harry's world may have gone a little fuzzy.

             Draco let go of one nipple just to quickly go to the other one. He pinched and pulled the one he just recently vacated. "Take off your trousers... quickly." Harry would have smirked at the fact that Draco had to add in the 'quickly' but the desire wafting off of his lover was clouding his judgment.

             The sound of the zipper sliding down grabbed Draco's attention. His breath hitched when he saw that Harry wasn't wearing any pants underneath his trousers. He moaned when Harry's cock sprang free and slapped against his hand that was resting on Harry's stomach. A bead of precum dribbled on the back of his hand.

              It was Harry's turn for his breath to catch when Draco leaned forward to suckle the tip of his hard leaking member. "Oh _yes_." He whispered when that sinful tongue swirled his head.

              Sooner than Harry would have liked, Draco pulled away. He absolutely did not let out a pitiful whine. Absolutely not. 

              Draco let out a low chuckle at the whine. "Patience is a virtue."

              "Fuck your virtues."

              A pale elegant eye brow flicked upwards and Harry winced internally. Perhaps he should have worded that differently.

               "Such a naughty mouth for a virgin." Draco chided.

               Harry furrowed his brows in confusion for a moment, until he remembered what he had told Draco earlier. Hmm. This could get interesting. "I am sorry. I just am so nervous since it is my first time. Surely you can understand." He widened his eyes in earnest begging.

               It took all of Draco's self-control to not snort in amusement. He leaned forward to lick from the base of Harry's cock to the tip just once. He closed his eyes at the pleasure Harry was feeling. "I can understand your nerves but I think some respect should be shown here." When Harry arched a brow, Draco smirked. "You were quite rude Harry. I am a very strict pureblood, following all rules." He felt Harry's humor and he tried keeping a straight face. "Why, I even waited until the marriage contract was signed before participating in my sexual desires."

               Harry threw his head back and let out a loud laugh that shook his shoulders. His laughter soon turned into a choked noise that resembled a rooster who just couldn't crow anymore, when Draco decided that that was the perfect time to put his mouth back on his cock.

               Draco made a pleased noise when Harry's eyes snapped back to his. He moaned around the mouthful of dick in his mouth. He slowly dragged his mouth up the shaft until he let it slip out of his mouth. "If you can laugh like that, then I must not be doing my job correctly." He smirked before lowering his mouth back on the perfect cock in front of him.

               "Draco." Harry breathed unable to tear his gaze away from the enchanting grey ones that were staring straight into his own.     

            He loved the sound of his name coming from that wondrous mouth. Draco couldn’t help but moan around the thick length.

            “More.” Harry begged. He had been hoping that would have gotten Draco to take him fully into his mouth, or at least a tighter suction. He made a disgruntled grunt when that wonderful mouth did the exact opposite and disappeared.

            “Are you going to be nicer when I tell you to be patient this time?” Draco asked as he sucked a mark right below Harry’s belly button.  

            “Y-yes.” Harry stuttered a low moan when that mouth teased him lower. He was hoping that Draco would put that damn mouth to good use but his husband bypassed his throbbing cock to pay attention to his thighs.

            Draco could feel the ever growing frustration in the bond and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to tease him for much longer. “So beautiful.” He whispered against the smooth skin.

            Harry’s lust that had been clouding up was starting to clear as Draco’s words permeated his brain. There was something to the way that Draco said it that touched him deep into his core. He could feel how much Draco meant it. The love the man felt for him was always more powerful than the lust, despite the lust always being dangerously heady. He wasn’t sure if it was the date that they just had, or if it was something else but he was dangerously close to losing it.

            Draco had already been about to look up because of Harry’s conflicting emotions but when he heard a low sob, he tore his gaze away from the tantalizing skin to peer up at his lover in concern. His eyes widened at the watery green gaze staring down at him. Tears didn’t belong in those eyes.

            “What’s wrong, angel?” Draco asked as he pulled Harry into a straddling position over his lap.

            The concern and the endearment wasn’t helping anything. “I- I don’t… I just- I love you.” Harry managed to not make much sense of his words. He was growing frustrated with himself.

            The worry fled with Harry’s words. Draco ran his hands up and down Harry’s back reassuringly. “I love you too, Harry, so much.” He whispered before claiming Harry’s lips in a sweet gentle kiss.

            Harry sighed into the kiss as his lips moved languidly against Draco’s. He clenched his eyes in a vain attempt at keeping his eyes dry.

            When they broke for air, Draco licked his lips and tasted something slightly salty. His heart skipped a beat at the tears making their way down Harry’s face. He leaned forward to kiss them away.

          “You are overwhelmed.” It wasn’t a question but Harry nodded anyways. That was what he couldn’t say with words. He was overwhelmed with emotions and he couldn’t really stop them.

            “Do you want to lay down instead? I could hold you and you can tell me all the muggle stories about the princesses finding their prince. We can talk all night if that is what you would like.” Draco offered with a kiss to Harry’s cheek.

            Harry bit his lip in indecision. That sounded nice… he knew that Draco loved hearing the, ‘Harry, that makes no sense.’, ‘why would a kiss change the prince from a frog? Surely a potion would work much better.’, ‘why does a kiss wake her up? The poison should have killed her. He is kissing a dead girl.’, ‘that is a misinterpretation of a fairy. They don’t give lonely girls wishes and if they did it certainly wouldn’t be to something as trivial as a ball.’, ‘why do the majority of these stories seem to be solved by a true love’s kiss? Seems to me like they ran out of originality.’ muggle stories. Spending the night cuddled in Draco’s arms sounded nice and he planned to make that a reality but it wasn’t what he wanted right this moment. He shook his head.

            “No. I want that later.” Harry decided. “I need…” He trailed off biting his lip again.

            “What is it you want?” Draco asked as he placed another kiss to Harry’s cheek. “I will give you anything you want.”

            “Take care of me.” Harry looked into Draco’s eyes. “I want you to fuck me.”

            “No.” Harry’s face fell at the rejection and his eyes filled with tears. “No?” He whispered in disbelief. Draco had never turned him down before. He didn’t like it.

            Draco hated the sadness in the bond. He lifted his hand to gently wipe the renewed tears. “That isn’t what you need right now. I’ll take care of you but it won’t be like that. I am going to make love to you.”

            Harry shivered in surprised delight. He hadn’t heard Draco say that before. They didn’t always have frenzied sex, they had slow moments of love too but it wasn’t ever titled before. He was just relieved that he wasn’t being denied like he had feared.

            “Do you feel it?” Draco whispered. He could see the confusion on his husband’s face. “Do you feel how much I love you?” He could feel the burst of love in the bond and it caused him to smile. He grabbed hold of Harry’s arse so that he could lift him and twist them around so that Harry was laid out on the bed with Draco hovering over him. He vanished his clothes, loving the feel of skin on skin contact.

            Harry didn’t trust his voice to be even, so he nodded instead. He could feel it. He could feel the depths of Draco’s love for him.

            “Can you feel this?” Draco asked as he lifted one of Harry’s hand and placed it on his chest, right over his heart. “This heart serves two purposes. It keeps me alive and it also beats for you.” He knew that was cheesy but it was also the truth.

            The steady thump thump of Draco’s heart against his palm and the sweet words made his head swim. He wished Draco would stop with the words, it was making his emotions go all over the place.

            Draco began placing shallow kisses along Harry’s cheeks, nose, lips, shoulders and chest. “Every part of you really is a masterpiece. I love everything about you.”

            Harry arched into every single kiss, he ached for the attention, loved the pressure of those soft lips against his body.

            “Please.” Harry begged. “Please Draco.”

            Begging was always one of Draco’s weak spots. It was hard to deny Harry anything. Every fiber of his being was made to please Harry, if it was within his powers to give his lover something, then he was going to find a way to do it.

            “I can’t take the teasing.” He choked out blinking back tears. “I just need you. _Please.”_

            That broke Draco’s resolve instantly. He never wanted to make Harry this frustrated. He ran his hand up a smooth thigh until he was cupping Harry’s balls.

            Harry arched into the touch as his cock filled up tightly. They both had flagged some but he was soon aching for more.

            Draco tugged lightly before fondling the heavy balls in his hands. His eyes grew heavy lidded as he listened to Harry’s pleasured moans. He moved his hand upwards until it was wrapped firmly around Harry’s cock. His other hand summoned the lube.

            “Mmm.” Harry moaned when Draco began slowly but firmly moving his hand up and down. “Feels so good.” He loved the feel of those elegant hands on him.

            “It will get even better in a moment.” They both knew this but Draco could tell that Harry was needing words tonight and not just feelings. He quickly lubed up his fingers and immediately slipped his forefinger inside the tight heat.

            “More.” Harry demanded breathlessly. He had the urge to have Draco inside of him right away. He needed the contact, needed the love, needed the reassurance, needed his husband, he just needed everything Draco could give him.

            Draco ignored the demand. He wanted to be inside Harry just as badly, his dick was twitching at the thought, but he wouldn’t rush this. He wouldn’t hurt Harry in their haste to get off.

            When the second finger breached him, Harry wanted to demand more but Draco doesn’t do anything that he doesn’t want to. So he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get Draco to just hurry up.

            Draco crooked his fingers and smirked lazily at the way Harry jerked and moaned as his prostate was jabbed. He scissored his fingers before adding a third one.

            “Please- Please Draco. I need you- please.”

            He quickly lubed up his cock and pressed gently against the stretched out hole. He would’ve loved to tease the rim a little to hear the breathy moans that Harry releases but he knew that he couldn’t do that this time. He knew that Harry needed him and who was he to deny that?

            At the first feel of the head of Draco’s cock at his entrance, Harry spread his legs wider, welcoming him further.

            “So ready for me.” Draco whispered as he slowly inched forward.

            They both let out moans when Draco bottomed out. Draco took a moment to catch his breath and let Harry adjust before he slowly slid back. He waited till he was just centimeters away from the rim before stopping.

            Harry hadn’t been aware his eyes were closed until Draco stopped. He opened his eyes and moaned when they locked gazes. There was a warning to keep his eyes open in that one gaze. When he nodded his head, Draco slid back in. Not hard but firm. Harry was torn from wanting a harder pace but he also loving the slow slide of Draco’s throbbing member inside of him.

            Draco leaned forward and put his hands on either side of Harry’s head as he began a steady pace of thrusting hips. He made sure to hold Harry’s gaze. Normally during sex, they would share their pleasure in the bond. It held a heightened feedback loop that intensified things. This time though, he made sure their love was front and center. The love was flowing constantly in the bond. Equally intensifying but different.

            Harry lifted his hips with each thrust and moaned with each drag of Draco’s cock. “Feels so good.”

            Draco agreed but didn’t say it back. The words weren’t necessary, Harry could feel his pleasure. What was necessary was, “I love you.”

            Again, Draco’s love for him was almost too much. He could feel tears welling but this time it was okay. It was okay to be emotional at times. Harry blinked longer than normal so that the tears would fall but he snapped his eyes back open so he could stare into Draco’s. He wanted to maintain eye contact, he wanted those eyes on him while they made love.

            Draco lowered his head to press his lips against Harry’s. The kiss was a clash of teeth and tongue, the only filthy thing about their coupling.

            “Harry.” It was as much of a warning as it was a moan. He pistoned his hips slightly harder when he felt Harry’s pleasure spike and the lust increase.

            “Draco.” It was pure want in his tone. No warning.

            Draco put his weight on his left hand so that he could trail the other down Harry’s body to grip the leaking cock.

            Harry arched up into the touch and let out a keening cry, never once breaking eye contact. He pushed as much love as he could into the bond before lifting his hips up harshly in time with Draco’s thrusts.

            The love made Draco shudder but he made sure to push it all back just as deeply. He quickened his hand on Harry’s cock. The slick feel of precum made a squelching noise that sounded like heaven to his ears. “Yes.” Draco whispered. He loved how wet his palm was getting. He could tell that Harry was getting close.

            The pleasure was getting too much. “Draco I’m g-going- I’m…”

            In response, Draco snapped his hips forward hard, his cock slammed against Harry’s prostate. “Go. Let go. Finish for me.”

            The commanding tone was laced with just enough authority that Harry didn’t even question the order. His muscles immediately locked up and his cock spasmed as he came with a choked whisper of Draco’s name.

            The tightening of Harry’s arse pulled his own orgasm from him. Draco kept a grip on Harry’s shaft, he loved the spilled come on his hand. He thrusted harshly twice more before stilling and splashing his seed deep inside of the tight arse surrounding him.

            Draco pulled out gently before collapsing on the bed next to his lover. They were both panting but completely sated. Draco waved his non covered hand and sent a cleaning spell across them.

            Harry smiled when Draco drew him into his arms. He nestled his head into Draco’s neck. He pressed a kiss to the sweaty skin. “That was perfect.” Harry whispered.

            Draco tightened his hold. “Yeah? Good enough for your first time?” He teased. A nudge against his neck caused him to grin widely.

            “You can take my virginity any time that you like.” Harry promised as he closed his eyes.

            Draco arched a brow. “Any time? I think you might have made a mistake in saying so.”

            “I am up for the challenge.” Harry said sleepily.

            Draco knew that he could have teased his soulmate further but chose not to, he could tell how tired Harry was. “You up for that story?” Already knowing that the brunette wasn't.

            “Of course.” Harry slurred in a half awake state. Draco didn’t think that statement was true but decided to see what Harry would do.

            “Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shiny castle.”  

            Draco frowned when Harry paused. He wondered if Harry was forgetting the words to the story. He leaned his head to the side to try and look at Harry’s face. He smiled widely at his completely passed out husband. A soft little snore let him know that Harry was gone to the world.

            “I didn’t need a story anyways. I already have my prince.” Draco kissed the top of Harry’s head and summoned the blanket to place over them.

* * *

**Extra Author's Notes Due to an Edit of Smut:** **Okay, I did not intend the smut to be an extra 3k words. I did intend it to be steamy... not sure how it turned into the very sweet thing that it was. I think the sweetness of it fit the end of their date. In case no one quite picked up on it, but the story Harry was going to tell him was Beauty and the Beast.**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to announce that I know absolutely NOTHING about Barcelona. I had to do a lot of research on the city. A lot. WAY more than with Singapore. Hopefully you can tell. Singapore mainly revolved around the sanctuary. I wanted to show more of the actual destination with this chapter. I do realize that I again only really included tourist attractions but that couldn't be helped. If anyone is reading this story from Barcelona, hopefully I did your city justice. If not... oh well lol.
> 
> I tried to keep things to the time period. I mainly did that. There are a couple things that are included that don't fit in with 1998. The hotel they are in wasn't built until way after 1998. I didn't name the place because of that. But it is right next to the shore. I got that part right. :P The fountain that was mentioned was built in 1929 and had been reconstructed in 1992 when it was falling apart. A lot of the lights and interesting technical parts weren't introduced till much later though, that is where I fudged it slightly. I didn't really change anything with the Aquarium. It was opened in 1995 so I didn't have to mess with anything. I would kill to see that Aquarium. It looks so freaking cool in all the photos. 
> 
> Okay, I normally don't do this because I LOVE surprising you guys but I am curious. There are some subtle things that I have foreshadowed in this chapter that link back to the other chapters. I don't know if anyone will catch them but if you have any suspicions, let me know. I can't really confirm them but I might be able to deny them. 
> 
> I was originally going to have this chapter be its own one shot. It wasn't going to be related to this story though. I just had the idea of Harry being nervous to ask out Draco on a date. Originally I was going to have Draco respond with something like, "Harry... we are married..." Like he couldn't understand why Harry was asking him out but going along with it. But after the horrid story I read, I needed to include it into this story. I like this instead. I think it was adorable and I just melted the whole time writing it. Which was the therapy I needed. 
> 
> Did you have a favorite part to the date? I think mine was meeting Ormar and Agnes. Such a sweet couple. 
> 
> If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	5. Sicily's Series of Misfortunate Events: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partial warning- read the Author's note before you complain to me about the chapter. 
> 
> *Warning* Sort of. This chapter is a little more... different... than I have done before. This wasn't a route I was going to take originally. I have plenty of ideas on their destinations but the order that they visit places was eluding me. I asked my sister if she could go anywhere in the world where would it be, she responded with Rio de Janeiro. Not bad but I doubt I will include it in the story. For some reason the failed response made me realize that I needed to include Italy. Don't ask how the two relate... they just do. I am really tired if that helps you understand my frazzled mind at all. I hope you all remember that Blaise gave Harry and Draco a key to his mother's summer house in Italy as a birthday gift. So that is why this chapter is Italy! I had intended them to go to Italy a little later but that is what happens when you need inspiration. It comes from unlikely areas sometimes. 
> 
> Now to the warning, should I add another *Warning*? Well I just did. I was seriously stumped about which place to visit in Italy. I didn't even hesitate in the other chapters, but there were so many places I wanted them to go in Italy. Rome, Venice, Milan, Pompei, Florence and many more. I actually was going to have them visit Rome. I thought about doing something with the illuminati and even the Vatican but chose not to in the end. That was really hard for me. I do love what I chose to do. No I won't tell you. You will have to read the chapter to find out. What the *Warning* really is about, is the drama. I have taken a real thing and over dramatized it to fit the story. In the story it fits and isn't too dramatic in the unbelievable, but the real life part of it might seem that way. Does that make sense? I feel like I am making no sense. Sleep addled mind here. 
> 
> Title, is a stroke of half awake genius. It makes sense to my sleep deprived mind but I could have missed the mark completely. Ah well. That is my story and I am sticking with it! :P
> 
> So... the smut from last chapter is still being worked on. I could totally give you some excuses but let's not insult each other. I promise on my slowly slipping away author cred that it will be updated tomorrow. I have half of it written but I wanted to get this chapter out of the way first. I have nothing to work on tomorrow so I will get it out. I will try and make it extra steamy as to make up for it being missing. Technically if it does get posted tomorrow, (which it will) I still will have met what I told you. I am hanging on a technicality here, hence the slowly slipping away author cred. 
> 
> By the title of this chapter, I sincerely hope that you have realized that this chapter will end in a cliff hanger... if not... then do you even know me? Come on, I thought we were on better terms than this. :) I will let you in on a secret, when I am tired, like I am right now, I think I am funny. My jokes will probably embarrass me in the morning, but right now I am a regular comedian.
> 
> Also, I did read through my story for editing. I will once again read it in the morning, after hopefully at least six hours of sleep. So if there are any glaring errors in here, they will be fixed tomorrow after I am no longer a mindless zombie dreaming about my warm loving bed. 
> 
> Enjoy.

           Draco looked around their hotel room with satisfaction. He loved leaving the place spotless… except for the bed. He absolutely relished leaving the bed a mess. A giant wreck. It was some odd pleasure of knowing that the employees would have to see how much they enjoyed themselves. Harry liked to say it was an odd kink but Draco didn’t think so, he just liked to see it as a way of showing the less fortunate how blessed he was. Something he learned from his father. Not the nicest of things… but he just didn’t care.         

            “Finished!” Draco startled at Harry’s loud voice. He turned around to see Harry clutching a ripped bed sheet. He smirked internally as he stared at it, Harry’s magic had ripped it to pieces last night during a very _pleasurable_ moment. He was getting all tingly just thinking about it.

            “Earth to Draco!”

            Draco snapped his gaze back up to amused green eyes.

            “I swear you never stop thinking of sex.” Harry chided with a stern face. The sparkling of his eyes however, warred with that notion. He rolled his eyes at the fact that his lover liked to pretend he wasn’t as horny as him.

            “You are the one holding that.” Draco pointed out. “How can you expect me to not think about the way you screamed my name as you ripped it to shreds?” He heard the way Harry’s breath hitched and he smirked. “You were so loud that I feared the others on the floor would hear you. Not that I would’ve minded. I love how loud you get when my cock is sliding inside of you.” Silencing charms could have prevented the sound issue… but it was just another way of showing the unfortunate how blessed he was. Really, he was doing them all a favor.

            “Draco.” It was a warning to stop but also a pleading to continue. Harry wasn’t sure which one he wanted more.  

            “If anyone heard you, they would be able to hear how much I can please you. They would have heard your orgasm, felt your magic ripple as you came clenching down on me. Mmm.” He finished with a moan as he stepped into Harry’s personal space.

            A shudder wracked Harry’s form when Draco lightly nibbled his ear. “We don’t have time for this.” Harry tried informing him.

            Draco furrowed his brows as he regretfully retracted his tongue. “We aren’t on a schedule. Who cares if we are a little late in going to Italy?” He figured his argument was foolproof, so he began to trace his husband’s throat with his tongue. He delighted in the shiver that Harry released.

            Harry had to pinch his side to gain some kind of distraction from the wet tongue sinfully mapping out his neck. “We _are_ on a schedule.” He argued. “I made the sheet a portkey to give us some relief from the apparating.”

            Draco immediately leaned away in shock. “You made an international portkey in the time it took me to clean?” He was incredibly impressed. Legally, it would have taken three days for the Ministry to make one. Seeing as they were in Beijing right now, that would have been a little difficult. The Chinese Ministry handled their citizens first before they appealed to foreigners, so an international portkey would have taken more than a typical three days’ notice.

            Harry snorted. “You didn’t clean anything.” He argued. “I cleaned while you were pretending to sleep.” He shot him an unimpressed look. “Yeah, don’t think I didn’t catch on to your plan, you lazy prat.”

            “Someone has to supervise, my love.” Draco grinned cheekily. “Some people are born into positions of power, I was one of the fortunate ones. I am made to be lazy.”

            “A lazy ruler?” Harry arched a brow. “Some king you are.”

            Draco sighed in mock disappointment. “Hey now, don’t question your king’s decisions. That is insubordination. If I remember correctly, that is punishable by death.”

            Harry grinned as he thought back to their first life. “Yes, that is correct. However, if _I_ remember correctly, you my wonderful king, abolished that rule when you took over the throne.”

            Draco deflated slightly at the reminder. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that. What was I thinking?” He shook his head in disappointment. He smiled when Harry wrapped his arms around him.

            “You were thinking that your subjects had the right to speak their mind freely. Free will was something that you believed in. You were a wonderful king.” Harry told him with a sweet smile. He pressed a gentle kiss to Draco’s temple.

            Draco sagged into his lover’s warm body. “Yes, well someone had to be.” He wasn’t very comfortable with the praise. It was hard to be praised for his first life knowing how much he messed up with this one. It was bittersweet. He cleared his throat before Harry could say anything. He wasn’t in the mood to hear another speech on how he needed to see the good qualities to him.

            “I am impressed with how quickly you made the portkey.”

            Harry was torn between being pleased with the praise and then frustration at his husband’s self-deprecating behavior. He wished Draco could see how amazing he was. He wished Draco could understand just what it is he sees when he looks at him.

            “It wasn’t that hard though. Less effort than it would have required in apparating.” He shrugged.

            Draco smirked. “Except this is illegal.”

            “Well technically…” Harry trailed off when Draco shot him an incredulous but very obvious, ‘do you realize who you are talking to?’ look. He sighed in defeat. “Oh, alright.” He begrudgingly conceded. “It is illegal. Incredibly illegal. I think I broke at least fifty laws between the two countries. Three, if you count that England would get involved since we are citizens of their government.”

            Draco ignored all of this. “I am so proud of you.”

            Harry blinked rapidly. The funny part was that Draco was serious. He could feel the pride rolling off of the blonde in waves. Here he is telling his husband that he was breaking international laws and his response is pride? It was surreal. He knew he shouldn’t encourage this but he couldn’t help but grin. “I love you.” He told him with a shake of his head.

            “I love you too, angel.” Draco took a step back to take one last look around the room, to make sure that everything was in order. “So when do we head to Rome?”

            “Any minute.” Harry grabbed Draco’s hand to place some of the sheet into his hand as well. “Only, we aren’t going to Rome.”

            Draco snapped his gaze back to Harry’s. “What do you mean? Blaise’s mum’s summer house is in Rome.”

            Harry pulled out a letter. “Kreacher delivered this after you fell asleep. I forgot to tell you about it this morning. Blaise’s mum said that the summer house is under remodeling. She wrote that she bought a new house in Italy but it wasn’t in Rome. She did say that we are still welcome for a visit.”

            Draco could tell that the portkey was gearing to go off soon. The thrum of magic was growing in the air. “Where in Italy?” He was a little disappointed. He would’ve loved to have seen Rome.

            “Sicily.”

            Draco’s eyes widened as panic gripped his stomach and fear iced his veins. “NO!” He yelled when the sheet started glow. “Harry let go of the-” His words were cut off by the portkey taking off. He closed his eyes in defeat as he waited out the time to when they would land. He would have to act quick to get them out of there. He prayed to any higher power out there that Miss Zabini didn’t have anti apparation wards in place.

                                                            ```````````

            Harry could feel the panic in the bond which caused him to panic as well. What was going on? Was there something wrong with Sicily? Why was Draco so worried?

            When they both landed, well Harry nearly fell, the only thing keeping him upright was a bruising grip to his bicep, Draco scanned his surroundings. He could tell that they were on the edge of the wards but still inside them. It was a little odd. Usually they would have portkeyed straight into the outskirts and then the wards would allow them access. It was not usual for guests to be already keyed into the wards like this. It made his hairs stand on end in suspicion and defense. He stretched out his magic just to get a feel of it and he recoiled when he felt the anti apparation wards. It wasn’t just that, there were _so_ many defenses built into the place that surprised him. This wasn’t a typical warding for a house. This was on another level. This is something he would relate to the warding around the shops of Hogsmede. It wasn’t advanced enough for the wardings of Hogwarts but it was _way_ stronger than the wards at the Manor, which was surprising by itself. He knew without a doubt that Miss Zabini was not the person who put them up. There was something in them that wasn’t a typical wizard spell either. If he had to pin point it, he would say it was some kind of magical being magic. It felt familiar in a way, something was telling him that he was going to be pissed when he figured it out.

            He could spend all day trying to make sense of the wards but he knew they didn’t have time. He had to get them out of here.

            “Draco, what’s going on?” Draco could hear the panic in Harry’s tone and in the bond but he couldn’t do more than send out a reassuring jab in the bond. It wasn’t too deep because he refused to offer false reassurances. That wasn’t his thing and he wasn’t going to start now. He knew that it would make Harry’s trepidation even worse but he couldn’t help that.

            Harry tried not to freak out but Draco was worrying him. Draco wasn’t one to act like this, he actually couldn’t remember a time when his lover was this worried.

            “We have to get out of here. _Now_.” Draco told him urgently. “I am positive the wards have alerted her that we have arrived. We can’t spend time in Sicily. Not even for a moment.” He waved his hand in the air to place a glamour charm on the both of them.

            This was worrying Harry. “ _Why_?” He stressed. “I thought that Blaise’s mum was nice.” He was confused as to why glamour charms were necessary. Blaise’s mother knows what Draco looks like. Why would he want to hide their appearance? It wasn’t like they knew anyone other than her here… right?

            Draco snorted derisively. “No one ever said that.” He shook his head. “She will welcome us but nice is not really in her vocabulary. The problem isn’t her, the problem is Sicily. This is not somewhere I should be.”

            Harry furrowed his brows. There was an emphasize to his husband’s statement that didn’t make sense. “Has the Malfoy family made enemies in Sicily?” That was a little surprising for him if that was true. Usually to be successful with a general political career, enemies were to be kept at a minimal. Successful politicians get both sides to like them. 

            A deep sigh was his response. “ _Oh_ yeah _._ ” Draco uttered. He narrowed his eyes at the edge of the wards. Something wasn’t quite right. He took a step forward before squatting down.

            Harry wasn’t sure what Draco was looking at. He couldn’t really make out anything but some wards. Was that what was keeping the blonde’s attention?

            When Harry took a step forward, Draco held out a hand. “Don’t move baby. _Please_.” Harry immediately stopped. He knew that he should be more freaked out but the endearment made him smile. Even during whatever kind of serious situation was happening, his lover still managed to show that he cared with his words.

            A rock on the ground caught Draco’s attention. Perfect. This is what he needed. He picked up the rock and tossed it straight at the wards. There was a ripple when the rock made contact, which shouldn’t have happened. The rock combusted into tiny pieces when the rippling finally stopped. The rock theoretically should have gone straight through the wards. By definition, the wards shouldn’t act as a barrier. They should be invisible in almost all sense of the word, acting as an extra security. Nothing good would have kept the stone from _leaving_ the wards. If it was the opposite, if it was preventing the rock from entering than he might be able to understand… but this? This wasn’t sitting well with him, at all. The extra magic to the wards was preventing anyone from leaving. This was not a good sign.

            Draco’s mind started whirling in a thousand different directions as he tried to think of counter spells to take down the wards. Most of them he could handle, some would require Harry’s help. The main issue was the parts that weren’t wizard done. That was what was throwing him. It was more than just unknown magic that was making him wary, some magical beings have traps within protections. If he blindly acted, it could backfire in his face. If he only got rid of the wizard wards then that might trigger a failsafe within the unknown magic, causing a catalyst. He was in a no-win situation. He covered his face with his hands. “Fuck.” He swore in desperation.

            “Draco?”

            The hesitant way Harry spoke, caused him to look up into worried green eyes. “Harry, what do you know about Sicily?”

            Harry blinked before shrugging sheepishly. “Uhh… not much. It’s a sovereignty nation, isn’t it? Like it doesn’t have the same laws and regulations as the rest of Italy. That is about it.” He was a little ashamed at his lack of knowledge but geography wasn’t exactly taught at Hogwarts and he had been too young when he went to muggle school to be taught about a whole lot of other countries.

            Draco grimaced. This would take too long to explain. They didn’t have the time. With the wards preventing them from leaving, there wasn’t much he could do. The best plan he had was to wait out Miss Zabini and get her to lift them as soon as possible.

            “Have you ever heard of the Cosa Nostra?”

            Harry furrowed his brows. “I can’t say that I have.” There had been a shiver of fear when Draco said the name, it was something that he didn’t like at all. He had had enough of the whole Voldemort thing, with people not willing to say the man’s name. He didn’t need Draco to be afraid of something else too.

            “It is the Sicilian Mafia.” Draco shuddered just thinking about it.

            Harry dropped his mouth open in shock. _That_ he had heard of. “Are you telling me that we can’t be here because of some muggle mafia?”

            Draco arched his brows and let out a little choked laugh. “Harry…” He said slowly and carefully. “The Sicilian Mafia is _not_ muggle ran.” He felt surprise flicker in the bond. “There are two warring magical beings that have been feuding since long before the founders time. There has been no interludes or respites. The Goblins and the Dwarves.”

            Harry scrunched up his face in thought. Dwarves. There wasn’t much that he had ever learned about them. He had read a couple books in the Manor but that was about it.

            “Both species are miners in their nature. Where Goblins deal in gold, Dwarves deal in gemstones. They are both gifted in what they do. They each have their own magic as well. I couldn’t tell you for certain what either of their magic entails. That is information that has not been shared with wizards. Although, that is not surprising with how we have treated them.” He shook his head in annoyance at humanity.

            “Dwarves handle money just as well and just as ruthless as the goblins. They are competitors in every way. Goblins have always had the upper hand when it comes to relations with humans.” He smirked at the irony, considering the relations with Goblins and humans was pretty shite.

            “Gringotts has branches all over the world. Each country and each Ministry has its own set rules and regulations. What is acceptable back home might not be acceptable in China, Australia, America and so on. You get the picture. So, there is a change of culture that has to be taken into account. Say that the quartet wanted to take their shop international, China tells them that is fine but they have outlawed all uses of their fireworks. The twins would just take the fireworks off of their inventory and continue with the shop in China. That is what happens with banks all across the Gringotts spectrum. Their banking changes subtly from each location.”

            Harry held up his hand. “Okay, that makes sense. I understand that but what does it have to do with the mafia?”

            Draco shot him a weak glare. “I am getting there. Have patience.” He chided. “Back home, the Dwarves had lost the fight in who got to have a monopoly on the banks. So England is under the control of the Gringotts when it comes to banking. There is a small bank that is ran by Dwarves in Hogsmede.”

            Harry interrupted. “What?? Where? I didn’t see one.” Draco smiled softly. “I doubt you would have. It can only be found by people who are looking to seek business with them. It is essentially invisible to non-customers. Dwarves are not social beings. They like to mine and if they could, they would mine all day long and never interact with others. They are isolated and like it that way. Which is a problem if you want to be a major player in customer service. You have to be vocal if you are going to have a successful business. Which is why the England branch failed for them.”

            Harry’s mind was still trying to process the fact that there was an invisible bank in Hogsmede. How could he not have known this? That was crazy. If people didn’t know it was there, then how did the Dwarves expect to receive _any_ business? That just made no sense to him.

            “There are countries where the Dwarves didn’t fail. In Turkey, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia and parts of Russia their banks are the ones that have a monopoly on the banking. There are more than what I mentioned, that is just a select few. The goblins have more banks under their control but the Dwarves aren’t too far behind in numbers. The shifting tide that will tip the scales, is Sicily.”

            “Why Sicily?” Harry wondered. What was so special about Sicily that would decide how things were to go when it came to a feud between two species?

            “You were right when you said that Sicily is a sovereignty nation. The Italian Ministry has absolutely **_no_** say in what happens here.”

            “Wait, what?” Harry asked dumbly. “Are you telling me that Sicily is in anarchy?”

            Draco shifted a little as he thought it through. “No, not exactly. There _is_ a law enforcement but it isn’t anything like Aurors. They call them Public Safety and their numbers are small. _Way_ small. The Goblins and Dwarves can get away with just about anything they do here because there is no Ministry. The Public Safety is useless because it is a combination of law enforcement that coincides with muggle crime. Back home they have Aurors and the please-men.” Harry thought about correcting him but decided not to. It was too cute to change.

            “The head of the Public Safety is a wizard who makes sure that all of Sicily is safe not just the wizard aspect of it. Which means that their already small numbers are being distributed to handle cases that aren’t even wizard related, which makes their success rate of stopping the crimes that are happening by the Cosa Nostra that much more difficult.”

            Harry was impressed that the police organization here cared about what happened to muggles but at the same time, he could see where Draco was coming from. They could have a muggle organization handle the muggle cases so that wizards could go after the mafia.

            “Since there isn’t a Ministry to govern them as harshly as they need, crime is outrageous. Not only that but it is _organized_. I get that is what mafia essentially means but the way they make a business out of it blows my mind.” He shook his head just thinking about it.

            “How do you make a business out of crime?” Harry asked. He wondered if that meant that they had illegal businesses.

            Draco sighed as he thought of how to explain this. “There is a lot of examples that I can use. I’ll only give you a couple though, or we will be here all day.” He explained.

            “Theft.” He began with a thoughtful expression. “Thieves usually target specific people. Smart ones will case the place and evaluate what the person has of value before placing their plan of attack.” Harry wondered just where Draco knew this from. “Like I said earlier, the Cosa Nostra is organized crime. The thieves don’t work for them per se, but they do abide by territories and some basic ground rules. Citizens can pay the Cosa Nostra for protection. If a home or residence is under their protection it would be unwise for a thief to target that person. The Cosa Nostra doesn’t mess around. They will go after the thief and get the stolen merchandise from the thief and make them wish they hadn’t stolen from someone under their protection in the first place.” He winced as he looked to Harry.

            “You don’t even want to know what they do to people who cross them. Most disappear and are never heard from again. Some are beaten within inches of their life. Others are missing limbs but otherwise intact. The Cosa Nostra are not people that you mess with.”

            Harry was horrified. “And this is the Goblins and Dwarves doing this? The Goblins back home aren’t like this.”

            Draco nodded. “That is because there is a Ministry to stop them back home. There is nothing here keeping them in check. If the Public Safety were more of a threat than the crime in Sicily might not be as bad as it is. Since the law enforcement is a fucking joke, the crime is just incorporated into daily life. There is so much money to be made in organized crime. Not to mention it supports their lifestyle of constant fighting. The Dwarves and Goblins are at war. They have territories and clans all throughout the island. It isn’t just contained within the two magical beings either. Both sides have recruited wizards and muggles a like. The roots are so far deep that the Public Safety has no way to demolish the Cosa Nostra.”

            Harry wrinkled his brow. “Why are the muggles and wizards getting involved if it doesn’t even involve them?”

            Draco sighed heavily. “Muggles I am not sure, it could be the appeal of crime that draws them in. The muggles are kept away from the wizards and witches so that there is still a thread of secrecy when it comes to magic. The wizards get involved for different reasons.” He looked to the ground in frustration.

            “There is a city inside Sicily called, Caltanissetta. It is an all wizard village, just like Hogsmede. It is one of the largest out there. The population of wizards residing in the city is close to sixty thousand.” Harry let out a low whistle. He couldn’t imagine what Hogsmede would look like with that many people in it. He wondered what Caltanissetta looked like. With a jolt, he realized that they could very well _be_ in Caltanissetta. Blaise’s mum sounded like someone who wouldn’t want to live in a muggle area.

            “The city is the central hub of the Cosa Nostra. It is not uncommon for duels to spring up at all times of the day over territory or clan rights. With daily battles and a useless government, the wizards of Caltanissetta have become used to this lifestyle. What is the point of getting a law-abiding job when there is money to be made breaking the law? That is what a majority of the youth think. More and more children drop out of school and join the Cosa Nostra and most of those children die. The Cosa Nostra has ruined a lot around here. The muggles inside the Cosa Nostra know that that is where the leaders of their organization reside, but the muggle repelling charms keep them from entering Caltanissetta. Which helps the Cosa Nostra out, they basically have a muggle and wizard organization. Money and greed is what drives both the Goblins and the Dwarves to keep up their criminal enterprises. They are battling over the rights to bank a monopoly inside of Sicily. Whoever wins will supposedly cause a shift in the banking across the world.”

            “But why though?” Harry asked. He still wasn’t understanding what made Sicily so special.

            “The battle over banking rights in Sicily have been going on for centuries. It is something all countries are aware of. The death toll is unbelievable and the money being made here is crazy. Whoever wins the battle will be seen as not just a victor over their battle but also in business. They will be seen as someone not to be messed with. The countries who have banking in the losing side will pull their contracts and change their banking with the winner. It is just something that will most likely happen. No one wants to bank with the losing side. That is just the way the economy goes. People will see banking with someone who lost the battle as a risky investment. If they can lose against the other species than how good can they be when it comes to handling their money?”

            “This is crazy.” Harry whispered as he thought about everything Draco was telling him. “The muggle world knows of the Sicilian Mafia too; a lot of deaths are supposedly linked to them.

            Draco snorted humorlessly. “There is nothing ‘supposedly’ about it.” He told him firmly. “The Cosa Nostra are deadly, deranged and dangerous. Death is a prerequisite to joining. By that I mean murder. They say it is the only way that someone can prove that they are not a part of the Public Safety. Because the Public Safety tried to infiltrate the Cosa Nostra at one point. They didn’t get far because they can’t condone murder, even if it means taking them down from the inside. I think they use informants now, but that is a risky business.” Draco didn’t think informants were a good thing. Wormtail had technically been an informant for Voldemort in the beginning but the man was a rat to the core. Fitting that his animagus form showed his true colors. If the Public Safety didn’t choose their informant wisely, then it could backfire if the person were to become a triple agent in the process.

            “Okay.” Harry said slowly as his mind caught up with all of this. “I get it. We are in a very dangerous place. One that could potentially get us in something we don’t want to be in.” He conceded. “What I don’t understand is why _you_ can’t be here. That is what you said earlier. What makes you worried about being caught in Sicily?”

            “I would like to know that as well.” A male voice interrupted them, with an Italian accent.

            They both spun around quickly to see a man not much taller than them, pointing a wand right at them. The man had slicked back grey hair and yellow eyes. The grey hair may have been a tactic to fool people into thinking he was older. Harry could tell that the man couldn’t be older than early thirties.

            “Who are you?” Draco and the stranger said at the same time.

            The man smirked, something that sent unease down Harry’s body in shivers. There was something dangerous about that smirk. This man was a killer, that much he could tell.

            “I don’t think you are in a position of demanding things.” The man told them with a cocky air. “This is how this is going to go.” He said in a low voice. “You are going to tell me who you are and how you managed to get past the wards without breaking them.”

            When neither Harry or Draco spoke up, the man raised his wand higher and took a step closer. “Don’t make me ask again.” He threatened. “I am sure you know what I am capable of.”

            Draco arched a brow. The man was under the impression that they knew who he was.

            Harry felt icy fear flow into the bond from Draco when the man lifted his shirt and showed them a scar on his stomach. Harry didn’t know what was scary about that. He narrowed his eyes when he thought there was some kind of pattern to the scar. He tilted his head to the side when he realized that it wasn’t a scar at all. It looked like a brand. Something that animals get on them by farmers. There was something familiar about the design, something that he knew he had seen before. He just couldn’t quite place it.

            “Fuck.” Draco swore. The man was a part of the Goblin Cosa Nostra. He couldn’t tell which clan but he recognized the Goblin insignia branded into his skin.

            The man smiled a creepy smile that showcased the majority of his teeth. Not a good thing, considering the man must not know what a tooth brush is. His teeth were all black and sharp. “That’s right. I figured you would recognize this. Especially since I heard some of what you were talking about. You seem to see know a lot of what goes on here. Which brings me back to the main point, who are you?”

            “ _Il mio cuore._ Where did you go?”

            All three of them looked up to see a tall woman with long black hair coming towards them. Harry could tell instantly that this was Blaise’s mum. The resemblance was uncanny. There was a beauty to her that Blaise didn’t have though, which let Harry know that it was the succubus nature in her. He could see why the woman had a lot of husbands. She was beautiful in a way that a lot of girls could only wish for. Harry thought it was a little odd when he compared Scarlett to her. Scarlett is a full-blown succubus while Miss Zabini is only partially, and yet, he found Miss Zabini far more beautiful. It could be that Scarlett had a beauty to her that screamed inhuman. Still, neither girl was in the least bit tempting. No matter how beautiful Miss Zabini was, Draco was flawless in comparison.

            “Well well, Draco, you have certainly been holding out on me.” There was no warmth to her voice, not that Draco had been expecting her to be nice. That wasn’t something the woman knew how to be. “I knew that you got married but you neglected to tell me that you were soulmates. That is… interesting.”

            Draco closed his eyes and held back a whimper. Perfect. Fucking perfect. Instead of the glamour spells, he should have tried to hide the bond. This just complicated things.

            The stranger widened his yellow eyes. “Is that true?” He whispered in awe. “Wait, you know who they are Belinda?”

            Harry was interested in the fact that Blaise’s mum’s name is Belinda. He had read a book of names while in Beijing and one of the meanings to the name Belinda, was ‘beautiful snake’. The name suited her. What was more interesting was that the man with yellow eyes was now the man with purple eyes. His eyes widened when the grey hair was soon changing into a golden yellow. Metamorphmagus. Tonks had been the only one he had met with that ability, besides Teddy.

            Belinda made a noncommittal noise. “I told you about Draco and Harry last week.”

            Harry shifted a little when her brown eyes looked at him in a calculating manner. He wasn’t sure he liked her. She wasn’t nice like Blaise. Nor was she warm like Blaise. She was nothing like her son, it was something he didn’t like.

            “ _That_ Draco.” There was an excitement in the tone that made Draco wince. This was just what he had been hoping to avoid. He could feel confusion from Harry and he entwined their fingers in response.

            “Mister Malfoy it is an honor to meet you. I am sorry about earlier, I was not aware that you would be stopping by so soon.” The man held out his hand for Draco to shake. “The name is Stefano. Stefano Corleonesi.”

            Draco let out a low whistle at the name as he lowered their glamour charms, it was pointless keeping them up when he knew who they were. “I was not aware that there were any Corleonesi children still alive.” He knew that was a distasteful comment but things worked a little differently here.

            Harry elbowed Draco in the rib lightly. “Draco.” He whispered. What kind of statement was that? He snapped his eyes up at a low chuckle from Stefano.

            “No need to reprimand him. I get that comment a lot actually.” Stefano told Harry with a slight shake of his head. “My father was in charge of the Corleonesi clan before he passed away.” Harry was pretty sure that the man didn’t die of natural causes. He got the impression it happened in some kind of battle against opposing clans.

            “My brothers were adamant about restoring the clan to its good name but they were too enthusiastic. Logic went out the window when it came to their plans unfortunately.” Stefano sighed sadly. “I was the black sheep of the family. I didn’t want to enter the family business. It wasn’t until after I studied abroad that I learned of my brothers’ deaths. I decided to come back and see what was made of the clan. Been back for about five years now.”

            “Did you end up taking over the clan?” Draco wondered curiously.

            Stefano flashed them a mysterious smile. “That, I am afraid is not knowledge that I can disclose. The rest is all public knowledge. Things of other nature are not permitted to anyone not in the clan.”

            Harry thought the statement was useless. The man basically said that he was the leader without actually saying it.

            “Of course.” Draco conceded.

            Stefano looked to Harry with a smile but there was some distrust in those eyes. Distrust that was not in his eyes when he looked to Draco. “You must be Mister Potter.”

            Harry nodded his head. “In a manner of speaking. I would appreciate it if you called me Harry Malfoy. I am recently married.” He knew he wasn’t telling the man anything new. Stefano had heard Belinda say that they were married. “Have I done something to you?” Harry bluntly asked when the man still held distrust in his eyes.

            Stefano lost his smile as he regarded Harry with curiosity. “In a manner of speaking.” The man retorted Harry’s words back to him. “You broke into Gringotts and our clans take that as a personal insult.”

            Harry’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Now he could understand some of the fear Draco was feeling. He wanted to petulantly point out that he wasn’t the only one who had broken into Gringotts. Why was it that everyone just blamed him?      

            Draco narrowed his eyes. “Gringotts had their chance to go after him but they chose not to. The goblins of the English branch have already looked past this.”

            Stefano was still looking at Harry but now he was doing so with a mocking look. “This isn’t England, Mister Malfoy. The goblins here won’t be pleased to see him.” There was a threat in there, however thinly veiled it was.

            Draco took a step forward. “If that is true then I just might have to do some business with the Dwarves before leaving Sicily.”

            Belinda and Stefano gasped but Draco ignored this. “I am sure that when my honeymoon is over, the Hogsmede branch will love some added business. I am positive that the Dwarves would love business provided by the Malfoy family.”

            Stefano snapped his gaze to Draco. “You would leave Gringotts?”

            “If the Goblins are going to be less than welcoming towards _my_ husband, then you bet your creepy arse I will. Not to mention the Black family will also leave, considering that Harry is the heir of the Black family title as well.” Draco smirked when Stefano looked panicked. “I have friends Mister Corleonesi. A simple word from my father will have not just us leaving, no, the Parkinson, Nott, Goyle, Crabbe, Greengrass, Bulstrode, Flint and _many_ following suit.” He was pleased to note that Stefano looked like he might keel over. “I know that is just one branch of the hundreds that Gringotts has over the world but you must be aware that my father has _several_ off-shore accounts and wouldn’t you know it, one of them just happens to be here in Sicily.” Draco said it like it was a surprise but Harry could feel the triumph in the bond.

            “We have also just recently come into a friendship with the heir of the Incubus council. I am positive that if I were to suggest that the Dwarves might be a little more welcoming to business ventures, that they as well would fall in line. Not to mention that his mate just happens to be an original vampire. Where one goes, the other follows. The vampire council would be intrigued to see that perhaps the Dwarves would be a better investment than Gringotts.” Draco knew that his threat wasn’t an empty one. He was confident that Kenny and Peter would switch if they asked them to. Not that he would ever ask them to, but Stefano didn’t know that. He almost snorted at the sweat that was perspiring down the man’s face.

             He looked to Belinda too see her with a panicked expression as well. “I know that you don’t come home to England too often but with most of the sacred 28 leaving Gringotts _and_ two major magical being councils switching their banking pleasures, that would require a lot of attention. If you wish to remain neutral in affairs than I suppose it won’t matter.” He knew that the Zabini family always stayed neutral when it came to just about every single political issue.

            “But…” Draco trailed off with a smile that was bordering a smirk. “I am pretty sure that the wards surrounding your home have Goblin magic in them.” It had made sense when he saw Stefano’s brand. The unknown magic _had_ to be Goblin magic. That is why it felt familiar.

            “We both know that the Goblins don’t add wards for no reason. You are under the protection of the Goblin Cosa Nostra.” It wasn’t exactly an accusation as it was the truth. “If you are under their protection then that means that you have chosen a side. You are backing the Goblin Cosa Nostra in their battles here in Sicily.” He shook his head in surprise at his own deductions. It was hard wrapping his mind around the fact the Belinda would actually pick a side. The Zabini family never gets involved in political matters.

            “Either you have just decided to back them on a whim, or… there is a reason you feel that the Goblins can win.” He was itching to know what made Belinda want to break neutrality for the Goblins. “Either way it won’t matter if the Malfoy family publicly renounces their business with the Goblins. If we were alone than it wouldn’t be much of a threat. Since my surname comes with a backing of others, then it would appear that you have made the wrong decision to back the Goblins. Sometimes neutrality is the best thing. Perhaps you should have stayed in the grey and not chosen a side.”

            Harry was impressed with Draco’s threats. It was almost mind blowing at how much the Malfoy family name could change things. A simple act could have life changing effects for people continents away. This seemed like a lot of work just because the Goblins might be rude to him. Seemed like overkill to him, but he was also filled with warmth that Draco cared so much.

            A withering glare from Belinda directed at Draco, caused the blonde to smirk. The problem with being neutral like the Zabini family was that their name just didn’t hold a lot of weight to it. Being neutral was fine in England right after the war. They hadn’t been involved in either side of the war, so no one could come after them and claim otherwise. That is the only plus to staying grey. Now however, with the Malfoy family slowly making its way back out, things were different. Goblins don’t care about wizard wars. They deal in business, which is something that the Malfoy family excels at. The Malfoy family name was more powerful than the Zabini last name by far. With a simple firecall to his father, he could wreak havoc on every single one of Belinda’s plans. Whatever those plans might be.

            “L-let’s not do anything drastic.” Stefano spoke up. “I meant no disrespect.” Harry snorted at that. He caught the almost glare from the man but it seemed that Stefano was smarter than that to upset Draco further. “I will talk with my superiors and make sure that you both are met well while you stay in Sicily.”

            “We aren’t staying.” Draco told him firmly. There was no fucking way he was staying in Sicily. He may be on the positive side when it comes to the Goblins but that was the extreme opposite when it came to the Dwarves. The England branch in Hogsmede was nice enough, since they did business with them too but that was not going to save him here. He was a glaring target to the Dwarves here. He was public enemy number one if he stayed here.

            Harry figured it was the Dwarves that were making his husband so nervous, considering that Stefano had really liked Draco in the beginning. It made sense to him. If the goblins loved the Malfoy family then the Dwarves must hate them. He looked to Belinda and Stefano and noticed that they were relieved that they weren’t going to be staying in Sicily.

            “Well, perhaps I will see you if we visit England.” Stefano told them with a forced smile. It was obvious to Harry that they had overstayed their welcome. That tends to happen when Draco opens his mouth. Not that he minded much. Everything that comes out of his husband’s mouth usually has a purpose.

            “We?” Draco asked curiously. Belinda wasn’t one for bringing husbands home that weren’t already in England.

            Belinda shot Draco a suspicious look but said nothing. “We are recently married.” Stefano told them with a genuine smile as he grabbed Belinda’s hand.

            Harry pitied the poor man.

            “I feel sorry for you.” Harry and Draco mumbled under their breath in unison. They both knew that the man would be dead before the newlyweds really got acquainted.

            “What was that?” Stefano asked with furrowed brows. “I didn’t quite catch that.” He might not have but it was obvious by the anger on Belinda’s face that she did.

            “We said it was nice to meet you.” Draco assured him with a bright grin that would have fooled anyone but Harry.  He looked to Belinda. “Do you think you can open the wards so that we can leave?”

            She begrudgingly nodded as she pulled out her wand. A quick flick and they were free to go.

            They both rushed forward. As soon as the wards reclosed behind them, they breathed a sigh of relief.

            Draco turned them around so that he could give them a last polite goodbye. “Well, it was nice of you to offer us your house, Miss Zabini. Perhaps next time. Farewell.”

            The polite fake smiles of Belinda and Stefano disappeared and were replaced with horror. That was all the warning that Harry and Draco got before they were surrounded.

            Harry could make out at least twenty people around them. They were all wearing black with silver masks on their faces. He had a flash back to the graveyard for a moment and he panicked. He knew this was bad. Something was telling him that this was not the Goblins.

            “Fuck fuck fuck.” Draco swore repeatedly. They were so screwed. He could feel magic swirling around them and his stomach dropped. It was the magic of the Dwarves. He wasn’t sure how they had known that he was in Sicily but it was obvious that they were in deep shite.

            A loud crack reverberated across the yard. Harry knew that he wasn’t to move. Whatever was happening was like apparating and a portkey rolled into one. It would be unwise to disrupt that.

            Harry had to hold on to Draco to stop from falling when they landed. Honestly, he was thinking that someone in the universe hated him, he hadn’t even been the one to perform the magic and yet he was still clumsy on his feet. It just wasn’t fair.

            “Mister Potter, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Draco wanted to point out that kidnappers shouldn’t say things like that.

            Harry looked up to see a rather short man with light brown hair staring at him in awe. He was used to looks like this but not from foreigners. 

            “I am _Frolich_ of the brave united, third from the top.” Harry had no idea what that meant but he felt a spike of fear from Draco.

            Draco was barely keeping it together. He wasn’t sure which one he was more freaked out about. That Frolich was a part of the brave united or that he was third from the top. The Dwarves have titles that are just numbers. Each person a part of their clans is all numbered in correlation to the leader of the entire Dwarf Cosa Nostra. Third from the top was a _very_ dangerous person. One who was not afraid to mow down others to maintain such a high title.

            “Actually-” Harry was cut off by a huge negative response from Draco. He had been about to correct the man in saying Potter but it was clear that Draco didn’t want attention drawn to the fact that they were both Malfoys now. “It is nice to meet you too.” He finished politely.

            Harry noticed that the other members had all retreated to a back wall, giving him an opportunity to check their surroundings. They were in a dark room that had seen better days. Dust was everywhere and not an ounce of natural light. There was a candle floating up in the air, giving some light to the room.

            “I am sure that you are wondering why we have asked you to come here.”

            Harry’s eyes widened in disbelief. Asked them to come? What kind of drivel had this man been inhaling? He was about to tell Frolich that he was off his rocker but another negative jab in the bond had him reconsidering. “Yes, I was.” Harry said instead.

            Frolich leaned forward with excitement clearly on his face. “We require your assistance in breaking into Gringotts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I am still incredibly tired here guys, so if my end notes aren't much, that is why. 
> 
> You may wonder why I chose to go this route. The Mafia. I can honestly say that was not something I ever thought I would go with. I was doing some research on Italy and it came up. It was like the clouds cleared and the sun shone down on my nearly burnt out solar powered light bulb. It spoke to me. So I ended up looking over the Sicilian Mafia for a couple days and working it all out in my mind. I have never done a story on the mafia. When I asked for writing prompts in 'I Do What I Want', someone suggested a mafia story. That was for oneshots and I told them that I had never done anything like that. I can honestly say I wasn't too sure about the idea until I did some research on it. I can't say I will be releasing any other mafia stories but the idea is more appealing to me now that I have looked into it. 
> 
> What I meant about the over dramatizing warning in the earlier notes; the idea fits easily into the story but in real life, it isn't as overly dramatic as I made it. Does that make sense? Oh, the mafia is still a problem but not as big as I made it seem. 
> 
> When it came to choosing which species of Magical Beings would fight each other, that actually took some thought. I was NOT going to do vampires and werewolves. I was not touching that cliché with a fifty foot pole. Are goblins and dwarves a cliché? uhh.. no idea. If they are, they have got to be less than vampires and werewolves! Dwarves aren't really mentioned in the Harry Potter world. I am not even sure if they are. Someone in the comments let me know. I don't think so, but I could be wrong. If I am wrong then there isn't much on them so it opens the window for me to expand. 
> 
> Speaking of the Dwarves, there is more that I will be going into with them in the next chapter. They are similar to Goblins in many ways. Kind of how Vulcans and Romulans are similar but also VASTLY different as well. If you get that reference then we can be friends. If not... well we can still be friends but you are slightly less cooler to me. 
> 
> So... Dwarves vs Goblins. Any ideas on who might win? The war in Sicily has been going on centuries. Keep that in mind. 
> 
> I hope you picked up on this, but I will explain it anyways. The Goblins in Sicily love the Malfoy name and have a grudge against Harry. The Dwarves adore Harry and have a grudge against the Malfoy name. That was intentional and have some deeper metaphor that my sleepy mind just can't equate to you at the moment. 
> 
> This chapter had a lot of BAMF Draco moments for all my Draco fans. Don't even ask me why Harry didn't have some thoughts on all of this because I will most likely have a bitch face. It is hard pleasing everyone. Some people love BAMF Draco but wish Harry had more smart moments. Then others wish the complete opposite. I will compromise with you. This chapter was designed for Draco's quick wit. I will have a chapter in the future that showcases Harry's quick wit. 
> 
> Belinda... I debated on how to make her character turn out. Someone who kills their husbands repeatedly just doesn't scream 'great mom' to me. So I made her cold and uncaring. It is a wonder that my Blaise turned out so well. Might be one of those situations where the child wants to be nothing like their parent. I don't know. You decide.
> 
> There was totally a Legally Blonde reference mixed in the chapter somewhere. I will not claim the idea for my own but I loved it, hence why it was in the chapter. If you picked up on it, then kudos for you. 
> 
> Corleonesi was a Sicilian Mafia clan. It wasn't a last name like I made it out to be. It was actually named after a city in Sicily. Corleone. The real clan was underrated and considered peasants by other clans. They did have some success in the seventies, if I am remembering this correctly. I have no idea why I am telling you the back story, I might not even include the real aspects to that clan. 
> 
> Cosa Nostra does mean the Sicilian Mafia, not a literal translation mind you. I chose to have Draco continue to say Cosa Nostra because I feel that it has a better sound to it than just the Mafia.
> 
> The sacred 28. Some of you might not know what that is. It is a list of pureblood families that are still purely pureblood by the 1930's. Mainly it is darker Slytherin families. Not all. There are some that aren't. I am sure a lot of you have come across stories where they are mentioned. It is not something I made up. I don't know if I will bring them up again, I will leave the door open. Who knows?
> 
> There is a lot that I want to say and probably leaving out but I just can't keep my eyes open.
> 
> Let me know what your thoughts are on the story and what you think of my version of the Cosa Nostra.
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	6. Sicily's Series of Misfortunate Events: Part Two, The Partales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on 'I Do What I Like' (-Author's Note: I totally said that in an announcer's voice in my head.)
> 
> Frolich leaned forward with excitement clearly on his face. “We require your assistance in breaking into Gringotts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warnings* I don't know if there will be any trigger warnings with this chapter. There might be, depending on what you are comfortable with. That is the best kind of warning I can give you. Death, affixation, choking and blood all appear in this chapter. Woah... I just realized how fucking kinky that sentence sounded. Spoiler, there is no kinky sex in this chapter. Spoiler, no sex of any kind in this chapter. All that was actual shit not related to smut. I would say get your heads out of the gutter but that would be hypocritical, seeing as that was the first thing that popped into my mind. *Cough Cough* Changing the subject now that I have made things horribly awkward. 
> 
> Okay. Couple things to know before reading this chapter. You will come across a word multiple times in this chapter. That word is 'Partales'. It is also in the title of the chapter. The word is pronounced, Par-tay-less. I totally made up the word. It is a combination of two words in Latin. I will explain more in depth at the end of the chapter. I just wanted you to pronounce it correctly in your head. I didn't want you think it was pronounced Par-tales. 
> 
> Second tidbit of information. I don't know if any of you remember this but about two months ago I mentioned that I would be moving to Germany. Well folks that is happening in less than 14 days. I will still update and do my story. No worries. The only hard part is that in 14 days I might not have internet established for a couple days. It all depends on what services I can receive. So... be prepared for possibly a week or more of no update around that time frame. I will give another warning when the time comes closer. If I can find a way to type it on my phone and it still resemble a decent chapter than I will just do that. Otherwise, you will have to wait my dears. Sorry for the inconvenience but I am too stoked about Germany to be too heartbroken. Forgive me for the possible delay. I may just write up an extra chapter and give you all a double that week or something. I don't know. I Will figure it out.

            Harry blinked at the shorter man who must be a Dwarf. “Come again?” He asked stupidly. Surely, this man wasn’t serious. Surely, the guy must know that he was barking up the wrong tree. He could feel the same disbelief in the bond, so he knew he hadn’t heard wrong.

            “I had to have heard you wrong.” Harry continued when the man looked at Harry in confusion. “It sounded like you just said that you wanted me to help you break into Gringotts. Which is the stupidest thing I have heard all day.” A hard jab to his rib from Draco wasn’t enough to make him stop. He felt dread in the bond and even that wasn’t enough to stop him now that the flood gates had been opened.

            The anger replacing the confusion on Frolich’s face didn’t deter him either. “Actually, I think it is the stupidest thing I have heard in _months_. Which I got to say is a record breaker for me. I had to deal with a lot of shite recently. So believe me when I say that this is taking the cake for stupid things I have heard.”

            Draco looked to the ceiling in a half-jokingly attempt at praying to any possible higher powers. “I would like to make amends before I die. This life was good to me. We shall see how death treats me.” He paused before adding, “Again.” Of all the times for Harry to have picked up a wicked tongue, it had to be now.

            Frolich must have gotten a second wind, which Harry figured was about time. He was tired of the one-sided conversation so far.

            “Do you know who you are talking to?” Frolich leaned forward and narrowed his eyes dangerously. “I am third from the top. I have killed for less of an insult than you just gave me.” The other members of his group all shifted uneasily, still masked against the wall.

            “Mm.” Harry made a noncommittal noise. “I think that just proves there might be some anger issues, if I am being honest.” Draco let out a small whimper at Harry’s words. Salazar, was his husband _trying_ to get them killed??

           Harry wasn’t entirely sure where all of this was coming from. All he knew was that he had had an emotional rollercoaster so far and being kidnapped wasn’t helping. Not only that, but being kidnapped into something as stupid as breaking into Gringotts was not sitting well with him. He was not a member of their insane Mafia. He was not someone to take being kidnapped lightly. He didn’t cater to Voldemort, he didn’t cater to the Flamels, he sure as hell wasn’t about to cater to the Mafia.

            “Who do you think you are to speak to me like this?” Frolich demanded waving his hand forward in some type of signal.

            So that is how they wanted to play it, Harry thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes when a few members broke away from the wall. He raised his hand and shot stunning spells at them before putting up a barrier. “I was previously known as Harry fucking Potter. I am now known as Harry fucking Malfoy. I think the better question is who do _you_ think you are to just kidnap someone? Is that how things work in Sicily? You do whatever the hell you want to and don’t care about the consequences? I am _not_ some helpless victim that you can intimidate nor am I a part of your clan.” He took a step forward as he began to lose control of his magic a little bit. He could feel it pulsing around him.

            “Yes, I broke into Gringotts. However, I was not alone in doing so. This was not something I did on a whim. This was not something I did to one-up someone. This was not something I did for my own selfish needs. I broke in to steal a _very_ dark artifact that was detrimental in bringing down Voldemort.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the masked figures flinch slightly at the name. This confused him but he didn't have time to figure out why.

            “I did it to save the wizarding world from a very evil man. I do mean the world, because you would have to be an idiot to think that the man would have stopped at the one country. I did it for reasons that were past thievery. I am not some common thief who just steals for fun or even to make a living. I am not a part of your organized crime.” He took another step forward till he was almost touching the Dwarf.

            “You want me to break into Gringotts for your own needs. Not to save people. Not to get rid of an evil man. Not even for altruistic purposes. You want me to break into Gringotts so that you can have more money. So that the Dwarves can win this stupid war against the Goblins. You want me to do your dirty work for you. News flash, I don’t work for you.”

            In the back of his mind, Draco thought this entire conversation was horrifying and incredibly scary. He had no idea how this was going to play out. Chances were that they would have to fight their way out. He reached out with his magic to see if there was an anti-apparation ward on the room. He sighed internally when he realized that there was. He furrowed his brows when he detected spells to keep wizard magic from being performed inside of the room. That was normal for Magical Beings. Gringotts had wards up as well. Most Magical Beings didn’t welcome wizard magic in their establishments. So this wasn’t a surprise to him, what was a surprise was the fact that Harry had been able to stun three of Frolich’s men and set up a barrier. Something was either wrong with the spell… or… Harry’s magic was able to bypass the spell. By default, Draco’s magic would be able to do the same thing. This wasn’t something he wanted to test with the anti-apparation wards though, it isn’t smart to mess with things like that. That is a one way ticket to getting splinched.

            Harry could feel the dread in the bond but he couldn’t take the time to reassure Draco. He wasn’t even sure if all of this would even work out in the end. He just knew that he was angry… no… angry wasn’t a good enough word. He was enraged… enraged that they would think that it was _okay_ to just kidnap them. Were they so delusional to think that that would even work? Who just mindlessly replies in the positive to a statement like that?

            Frolich pulled himself up to his full height…. Which wasn’t all that impressive. Draco had to hold in a snort at the ‘show of authority’. He wasn’t sure if it was the danger to the whole situation that made everything seem more hilarious than it should have been.

            “Mister Malfoy.” Frolich sneered the name at Harry like it was the biggest insult he could muster. Which didn’t offend Draco but it did Harry. Who was this guy to act like he knew a damn thing about the Malfoy family? Being a Malfoy was one of the best things that had ever happened to Harry. He would be damned if he was going to allow someone to treat the name as if it were dirt on the bottom of a shoe. Coming from no family to having a wonderful family of friends and in-laws meant a lot to him.

            “It _was_ of high honor to welcome you here but it seems that we Dwarves have made a grave error in requesting your services.”

            A hand in the air stalled Frolich's ridiculous statement. “Excuse me?” Harry asked incredulously. “Request my services?” The tone of his voice was a mixture of surprise and disbelief. “That is twice that you have said something of that nature. That is twice that I have questioned your sanity because of it. You did _not_ request my services. You **_kidnapped_ ** me and my husband. That merits talking about. If you are going to pretend that you didn’t kidnap us then we have nothing to talk about. If you wanted to talk to me then you should have done so in a civilized manner.”

            A deep growl came from Frolich, briefly startling Harry. That was not a noise he quite expected to come from a Dwarf.

            “You will not speak to me as if you control me. You are nothing more than a human at my command.”

            Harry arched a brow and let out a breath of surprise. What was with the guy? Did he seriously think that this was how things were going to play out? Did he think Harry was seriously just going to bend to his will and do whatever he asked?

            “You _will_ break into Gringotts and you _will_ do it while being respectful to me and my people. I will not tolerate your insolence.”

            So, then yes. The Dwarf really believed that they were just going to listen to him.

            “What makes you think I will do a damn thing you ask of me?” Asked Harry, with narrowed eyes.

            Several things happened in the brief pause after the question. A hard jab to Draco’s back caused the blonde to let out a surprised noise. A hand was quickly pressed over his mouth causing the noise to become muffled.

             The noise might have been muffled but the surprise and fear in the bond caused Harry to step to the side so that he could keep an eye on Frolich and look at Draco at the same time. His insides clenched in fear and anger at the sight of his husband being held with a knife to the throat and a hand to the mouth. The person holding Draco was underneath an invisibility cloak. Which made sense, he _had_ performed a barrier. The only explanation for someone to be there would be that they had been there the whole time without their knowledge. He tried to see if there were any distinguishing features about the one under the cloak but the only thing that was visible was their hands... which were green...

            “You will do as I ask because I hold the life of your husband in my palms. One word from me and his life is forfeit.” There was a smugness to Frolich’s voice that seriously pissed them both off.

            “He is not just my husband. He is my soulmate and you are insane if you think that I will just sit by and allow you to hold him hostage.” Harry snarled out angrily. “Draco is _mine_. Not some tool of yours. If you have a problem with me than take it out on me. Do not involve my spouse! That is dirty and cowardice.”

            Gasps could be heard around the room but Harry paid them no mind. His eyes were trained on Frolich’s surprised eyes.

            “So it is true.” Frolich mused as he stared intently at Harry and then at Draco. “I thought I could feel something going on between the both of you but with the residual dampeners that the Goblins placed on that house, it was hard to decipher.” He stared at the air surrounding Harry, clearly seeing something that he could not. “The spells are still in effect and won’t wear off for a bit.” The Dwarf said more to himself than anyone else.

            Harry cared not for whatever was going on inside the man’s head. While Frolich seemed distracted by his own musings, Harry quickly shot a spell knocking the invisible person straight into the wall… hard. There was a crack that reverberated around the room. Some winces could be seen but Harry could care less. He paid them no mind. He summoned the cloak straight to his palm, he wasn’t about to take any chances that the person would get up and hide underneath it again. Harry knew that he had the only true cloak out there and this one was just manmade and not very good, judging by how tattered it felt underneath his palm.

            A puff of green was all he registered as he stared at the former invisible person. Harry narrowed his eyes at the magical being. Because there was no other explanation for what he was looking at. The magical being was all green. A dark green that he would normally register for a swamp or the peel of an avocado. There wasn’t a single thing about the person that wasn’t green. Their skin, nails, hair, lips and even eyes. There was something not right about the being. Something sinister was lurking in the face. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at but he could tell that they weren’t a dwarf or any magical being that he has read about. A slight movement drew Harry’s attention to wings. Dark green wings could barely be seen over the top of the magical being’s shoulders. He missed them the first time since everything blended in. Wings were a usual indicator of fairies. He shot another stunner at the being and watched the wings go still under the second spell.

            The moment the stunner went over Draco’s shoulder, he immediately looked behind him quickly, to ensure that nothing else would get the jump on him. It was embarrassing as a Malfoy to have been taken by surprise. He should have realized that the Dwarves would have a backup plan. They weren’t the Cosa Nostra for no reason. The moment he saw the green skin, he swore under his breath as he looked around the room. He ignored the people outside of the shield. They weren’t important. “ _Partales_.” He whispered as his eyes roamed all around, not stopping for more than a few seconds.

            Partales. The name sent an inkling in the back of Harry’s mind. Something was telling him that he _had_ heard about them. He tried to think back but nothing was coming up. Whatever it was, was gone.

            “I am impressed Malfoy.” Frolich told Draco with a hard tone. Harry doubted the man was actually impressed. He noted that Draco did not receive a Mister, like he did. Seems the Dwarves like to hold grudges.

            “Not too many people are aware of the _Partales_.” Frolich continued with narrowed eyes.

            “I imagine so.” Draco mused as he continued to roam all over. “The Malfoy family are not what one would deem ‘normal’ by any means.” He pointed out. “If it is dangerous then you best bet that my family has come across it at one point.” Draco shook his head as he said, “My great grandfather utilized the… services… of a couple _Partales_. My father likes to tell the story to some of his… friends… to ensure that they take him seriously.”

            By the tone of Draco’s voice, Harry figured that these ‘friends’ must have been former deatheaters. He got a bad feeling about whatever the _Partales_ was.

            “Harry, don’t move.” Draco commanded when it looked like Harry was going to take a step towards him. “ _Partales_ are also known as Sinister Fairies.” He explained as he released tiny doses of his magic, trying to detect anything hidden. “The realm that they come from is similar to the Fairy realm but different. Something about their realm changes when they enter our world. The magic of their world is so vastly different, that it contorts as it _tries_ to reassemble in our world. It can’t. Their magic causes a disturbance which results in a double. A twin if you will.” He tried to clarify. “Only, they are opposites. Where one _Partales_ is, there is always another.” Which explained why he was still looking around for the other one.

            Harry jolted when Draco said Sinister Fairies. That was a name he recognized. He had come across a brief passage at the Manor during their research. There wasn’t much on them but the book had said to avoid them at all costs.

            “In their realm, there is only one of them but when they enter our world, parts of their personality and abilities splits into two separate beings. I suppose technically they are the same person in two bodies. They are opposites in every sense of the word. Twin, might have been the wrong description. They aren’t mirror images like a twin. Or even similar like fraternal twins. They are _always_ together. I was correct when I said that they were also called Sinister Fairies. Most fairies are mischievous by nature but that is not the case here.” Draco shot a stunner at an area just a little bit away from Frolich, who was watching them with a slight sense of amusement. The stunner hit nothing, causing Draco to frown. He could have sworn that was where the other _Partales_ should have been.

            “Sinister Fairies are cold hearted beings. They don’t talk, they don’t gesture, they never make a single noise and they don’t communicate with anyone but their opposite pair. Some researchers say that they communicate telepathically to one another. That would be my guess as well, unless they just know each other enough to not need some kind of communication.” Draco shrugged at the loss of information. “It is rare for them to enter our world. They don’t like being split into two beings. _Partales_ are assassins for hire. Due to how silent they are, being an assassin is a job that fits them. They would normally do it anyways but why not get paid for it? Simple mischievousness that normal fairies fall into don’t satisfy a Sinister Fairy. They require darker, sinister things. That is the only thing that will satisfy their hunger.”

            Harry took in all of the things Draco was saying in interest. He reserved most of it for when he had time to think about some of it more in depth. The main thing he was concerned about was that there was another _Partales_ in the room.

            “I didn’t think that money was something that a fairy would want.” Harry mused as he shot a stunner in the opposite direction that he was facing.

            Draco snorted humorlessly. “Oh, I didn’t say they were paid in galleons.” He pointed out with a deadly smirk. “They get paid in bodies they can… play with.” He nodded at the horror in the bond. “The bodies don’t always have to be alive either.” That was what had interested his great grandfather. His father used to tell him that it was something that his grandfather had investigated in when the Weasley feud was at its highest. His grandfather had chosen to go a different route in the end. Which Draco was rather grateful for. Hiring _Partales_ for a family feud was unthinkable to him.

            Another stunner in the corner proved to be fruitless. Draco sighed heavily. The _Partales_ was a sneaky bitch. They typically don’t use invisibility cloaks. _Partales_ usually are cocky and straightforward, they tend to be front and center when facing an opponent. Hiding is something that they must have been paid for. He begrudgingly had to admit that having _Partales_ in your back pocket in the Cosa Nostra would be a safety net.

            Harry kept an eye on Frolich who was surprisingly quiet. The man seemed to be shooting the Sinister fairy on the ground a look of disdain, probably upset that the magical being was down for the count. He frowned when he saw a twitch from the green being. The stunner should have kept it still. Unless… their biology could fight off the stunner after a time. He didn’t think this was true because there should be more than just a twitching arm that was awakening, if their biology was indeed different. On a whim, he shot a stunner right above the _Partales_.

            Draco whirled around when he felt satisfaction in the bond. The stunner missed the target but managed to graze another invisibility cloak, the missed spell might not have hit the missing fairy but it did hit the cloak enough that it came right off. 

            Orange. That was the first thing that Harry registered. It was more of a blood orange the longer he stared. He had been expecting another green being but it made sense that this one would be a different color than the other one. Draco had told him they were opposites. The only thing that was similar between the two beings was the shape of the body and wings. Just like with the green one, this one was all one color. Every single thing about the being was blood orange. This one though… had a softer appearance than the other one. There wasn’t much about the green one that was visible, but what Harry could make out about its face, was that it was tough. This orange one though, was soft where the other one was hard. Kind where the other one was sinister. He knew that looks could be deceiving though, they weren’t called Sinister Fairies for no reason. Despite the kindness on its face, Harry thought that this one might be more dangerous than the one on the floor.

            Draco narrowed his eyes at the Sinister Fairy. He should have realized that it would try and heal the other one. He looked down at the green _Partales_ and noticed that there was green liquid coming from a gash on its head. Blood. It must have bled when Harry knocked it into the wall. There wasn’t as much blood as he thought there would be, which fit into the theory that the vermilion one wanted to heal it. He eyed the red-orange one with slight trepidation. He wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out. They had already done fairly well with taking out one of them. _Partales_ were a deadly combination. They are manipulators. There are several different types off Sinister Fairies. He wasn’t quite sure which pair this one would be. He had heard about ones that manipulate elements or surroundings. There was a sighting in 1816 where a man swore he saw _Partales_ manipulating life and death. Opposites right down to the end. Draco didn’t usually put stock into sightings that held no proof but he honestly wouldn’t even be surprised if the story was true.

            There was whoosh of silent wind that surrounded Harry and Draco. If they hadn’t felt the wind, they wouldn’t have even known there was a whirlwind of air around them. They both looked around startled to see that the Sinister Fairy was gone. They hadn’t even heard it move, which wasn’t surprising, considering they are silent. Harry was beginning to worry on how they could fight an opponent that didn’t make any noise. He wondered about the wind. He could see it, almost like a tornado. The wind was keeping them contained, they couldn’t move.

            Harry narrowed his eyes when he thought he detected something red in the wind. He gasped. “Draco.” There was awe in his voice. “The _Partales_ is causing the wind by running around us in a circle.”

            Another strike of red had Draco coming to the same conclusion. “It is wicked fast.” He commented with worry. He couldn’t even make out an outline, only an occasional flicker of red. Draco debated their options. Attacking blindly would be terribly stupid. They couldn’t even target the Sinister Fairy like this. There would be no guarantee that they could even successfully strike a spell. The spell could rebound and hit one of them. The circle of air was condensing and coming closer.

            Before either of them could really begin to panic, the wind suddenly stopped. Draco was curious as to why the Sinister Fairy would stop when it had them right where it wanted them. He let out a whimper when he saw that the green one was up and glaring daggers at them. “Fuck.” He swore when both _Partales_ linked hands and stood side by side. They were so screwed. Not knowing what kind of manipulators they were, was a major setback. Even if they attacked the fairies, it could backfire. If they really were elemental manipulators, the spell could work in the _Partales_ favor.

            “I suppose this could be your death gentlemen.” Frolich’s voice carried smugly around the room. “Whether you live or die is at _my_ mercy. Perhaps I should show you what happens if you deny my request again.” He nodded to the two _Partales_ , signaling that they could go ahead and start. “They are body manipulators.” The Dwarf added as an afterthought.

            Icy cold fear went through the bond at the statement. Harry tried not to panic but if Draco feared these two, then that meant it was not something to take lightly.

            Draco was panicking. Body manipulators? That hadn’t even crossed his mind. That could mean a number of things. What exactly did that entail? When the green one lifted a hand, he tried stunning it but the fairy easily side stepped the attempt.

            They both frowned when it appeared that nothing was happening from the green _Partales_ ’ attack. Harry looked to Draco rather confused. He didn’t feel any different than he had before.

            “Ah, don’t get cocky.” Frolich chided them. “It may seem like nothing is happening but _believe_ me, this is just the beginning.”

            Harry didn’t like the creepy grin on Frolich’s face. He was pretty sure that the Dwarf donned this look quite a lot but that didn’t make his nervous stomach feel any better.

            “Did you know that the body naturally siphons out toxins that enter the human system daily?” Frolich began. “The liver, the kidneys, the intestines, the respiratory track, the lymph system and even the skin work hard at detoxification inside the body.”

            Draco had a bad feeling about this.

            “The air we breathe is polluted, the water we drink is not entirely clean, a lot food is processed, the posture of one’s body becomes sedentary, human bodies lack the proper vitamins and oxygen it requires. Not to mention the proper enzymes and minerals. The organs that work during the detoxification process in the body are overworked and overwhelmed with all the waste products and toxic metabolites, which will render the body to all sorts of diseases and viruses.”

            Draco _really_ had a bad feeling about this.

            “All of this happens behind the scenes daily. If one does not take care of their body, the organs can’t work as they are meant to…. However… that matters none when you come in contact with my _Partales._ ” Frolich smirked widely, showing sharp teeth. “You could be the most health-conscious person in the world and it wouldn’t matter. You see, this _Partales_ here, _releases_ into the body. Right now it is releasing the toxins the body _already_ has in its system and multiplies it. Making those already overloaded organs cripple under the threat of _so_ much toxins. They will begin to shut down. New cells will only form when the body eliminates the toxins, since the organs can’t excrete all the added toxins, no new cells will form, leaving the body completely defenseless.”

            Each word the Dwarf spoke made them aware that things were going on inside their body. Harry was having stomach pains that seemed deep, internal. He knew that his organs were beginning to fail. Draco was having a hard time breathing, his respiratory track was failing him, causing him to become light headed. He knew that if this kept up, he would pass out… quickly. They both fell to their knees as it became harder and harder to stay upright.

            “Enough.” Frolich commanded with a raised hand. He ignored the glares the _Partales_ were sending his way.

            The green fairy lowered its hand while the vermilion one raised a hand.

            “This one _takes_ from the body. It is taking the toxins that the other one released.”

            Deep gasps were all Draco could manage when he felt his lungs beginning to work again. His head started to clear and he could think clearly once more. Harry sighed in relief when his stomach stopped hurting. The stabbing pains had receded. He was panting slightly but overall felt much better.

            “This _Partales_ can take the minerals and vitamins right out of your body. It can take the oxygen that pumps through your body. It can _take_ anything it desires to manipulate the body.”

            Harry really hoped that the Dwarf wasn’t going to demand a demonstration. He was barely recovering from the added toxins to his body, he did not think he could handle any more things being done to his insides. Draco was wishing they _had_ gone up against elemental _Partales_ , at least that was something that he could work with. He had absolutely no idea how he was going to fight against something that could manipulate his body.

            “Now. I think that you will be more susceptible to-” A choking noise alerted Harry and Draco that something was happening. They both looked to the side and their eyes widened when they realized that Frolich was choking. The Dwarfs face was rapidly turning a shade of red. Draco knew that prolonged exposure without air would soon have the Dwarf turning a shade of blue. He wasn’t sure what was causing the choking. He thought about just leaving the Magical being to die, considering the Dwarf had threatened his life, but he knew that Harry would regret it if they did. Before he could actually get to his feet and investigate what was happening to Frolich, he realized that everyone in the room was down as well. The barrier had caused him not to see the other choking victims until now. He quickly snapped his gaze back to the orange _Partales._

            Harry knew that gentle face was just a front. There was a sinister smirk on the blood orange fairy. He opened his mouth to say something, he wasn’t sure if he was going to attempt for peace or not but he never got the chance to say anything. Soon, it became harder and harder to breathe. He sent a worried glance to Draco and saw that his husband was also having issues breathing. He tried standing up but couldn’t manage it when he began hacking slightly. He tried to understand what he was choking on since there was no foreign obstruction. The only thing he could think of was that the Sinister Fairy was taking the oxygen out of their bodies. He looked to the side and saw that Frolich’s face was blue and that the Dwarf had slid to the ground, clearly passed out. He wasn’t sure how long the brain could survive without oxygen but he was most likely about to find out.

            There was a gurgling noise that came out of Draco’s mouth, which had him wincing. This was not how he envisioned his honeymoon to go. This was not how he figured Italy would turn out. This was not how he planned to go. He reached out and entwined his fingers with Harry and pulled the shared magic within them to perform a bubble head charm over Harry. With his rapidly decreasing oxygen, it was hard to concentrate on the spell. He knew that this was the only one he would be able to perform.

            Harry gasped when there was some renewed air into his lungs. It wasn’t a permanent solution because the _Partales_ was taking the oxygen from him much faster than the charm was replenishing it. He looked over to Draco and his heart froze when he realized that Draco had only performed the spell on him. He furrowed his brows as he wheezed in an attempt to gain more air. What the hell was Draco playing at? He raised his free hand and tried performing the spell but frowned when it failed. He tried again and again and again. He began to panic when his magic was growing weaker. Damnit. This was why Draco only performed it on him, he knew their magic was failing and tried to save only Harry. He loved his husband to death, literally, but the man could be dimwitted. Their lives were tied together, even if Draco died, he would follow his husband shortly. Their _in perpetuum simul_ ceremony was what entwined their fates.

            Draco blinked owlishly when he felt Harry drag his face forward and forced him inside the bubble. There was barely enough room for both of their heads to fit. The renewed air was such a distraction that he didn’t realize that Harry was speaking to him until the brunette was already mid deep in a rant.

            “-git. You utter foul idiot. Do you have any self-preservation? I thought that was a Slytherin trait! Why in the world would you try and only give me air?” Draco cringed at the anger in the bond and in Harry’s voice. “I will die without you Draco. I mean that literally and figuratively. Hello! Our marriage made it impossible to outlive you by more than a few minutes. I would have died with you in the end anyways.”

            Draco was listening to what Harry was saying but it didn’t help his feelings. He knew that Harry was right. He knew that Harry was thinking logically but sometimes feelings just don’t make sense. Sometimes when feelings get involved, logic goes out the window. “I know.” Draco croaked. He noticed the way that Harry’s eyes softened at his labored breathing. He was a Slytherin but he wasn’t dick enough to exploit that… well maybe.

            “I panicked Harry. We were dying. We still are.” He pointed out. The air wouldn’t save them for long. “I could feel you slipping away from me and I couldn’t have that. When my husband is in need, something just tore at me to take action. I know it made no sense, considering you would still die, but at the time it was the only thing I could do. It was a last-ditch effort to save the only thing that matters to me.” His voice cracked with more than just the lack of air. His eyes filled with tears. “I couldn’t just do nothing.”

            Harry sagged under the emotions coming from Draco. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “It’s just the horror I felt when I realized that you only saved me. It was awful. It was almost like survivors guilt, only you hadn’t died yet.” He closed his eyes briefly before leveling watery green eyes into equally wet silver eyes. “Don’t do that, please.” Harry begged. “Whatever we face it needs to be together. If you can’t save us both, then don’t.”

            Draco wasn’t sure he could agree to something like that. He knew logically that it should be easy to accept. No matter what he did in the future, they would both die at the same time due to the ceremony. It was the feelings that he knew would get in the way. He didn’t want to promise Harry something that he knew he couldn’t keep. It just didn’t matter that saving Harry made no sense. His heart just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t be in a situation where he didn’t lift a finger to help Harry. He just couldn’t do it. Harry meant the world to him, there would never come a time where he wouldn’t use his last breath to save his soulmate. Harry’s life came before his own. That was always how it ranked in his books. He shook his head in an apology. There was no way he would promise Harry something like that.

            Harry would have argued this more but they couldn’t afford that right now. They needed to focus on how they would be getting out of here. He looked to the two _Partales_ and noticed that they were being watched. Well, scrutinized was a better choice of word. Harry felt like they were being judged for something that they couldn’t recognize. The green one was regarding Draco in curiosity. He wondered if it was because Draco had tried to use the last of his magic to save Harry and not himself. The reddish one was staring at Harry with a sense of longing. He got the distinct feeling that it wasn’t him that the fairy was longing for but something else. Maybe the bond? Or maybe humanity? He had no idea.

            Before either one of them could make some kind of plan, the green Sinister Fairy went rigid. Its counterpart turned with a wild urgency as they locked eyes. Draco had no idea what was happening but it was obvious that it wasn’t planned. If he didn’t know any better, he would guess that the green one was being sucked dry. The life seemed to be evaporating out of the fairy. The green eyes were fading into a lifeless gaze, the body looked like it was sinking in and becoming mummified.

            When the green fairy’s body dropped the ground with a sickening thud, they both knew that it had somehow died. Its opposite was staring down in horror before it whipped angry flashing eyes at Harry and Draco, who both held their hands up in surrender.

            “We didn’t do that.” Draco promised, his voice coming out a little distorted through the bubble head charm. “That was not us. We don’t have the magical strength.” He wheezed out. Too much talking and not enough air. In the panic of the blood orange fairy, it would appear that it stopped taking the air from their bodies. It was a start but both of their lungs were hurting in an attempt to gain more air into their system.

            They both covered their ears when a loud shrieking wail was emitting from the remaining fairy. Draco was stunned. He had never known that it was even possible for a _Partales_ to make any kind of noise. This sound though was awful. Worse than the bloody mandrakes in his second year. This sound was an agonized scream. Pain, so much pain was in it. He had no doubt it was a grieving noise made by the lone fairy. He had never heard of a _Partales_ pairing where one of them died. Society had only ever seen them in forms of two.

            Harry made to take a step forward but Draco stopped him. “Are you mad?” He barked incredulously. “That is not something we should interfere in.” Harry was barking if he thought that they would console the being that just tried to _kill_ them.

            Before Harry could make his argument, which Draco expected would happen since his husband was a bloody Gryffindor through and through, the lone fairy let out another yell. Only this one was entirely different. They both gasped at the sight of the _Partales_ on fire. Harry felt out his magic and figured that he had regained enough strength to send out some spells but it proved to be pointless.

            The fairy started puffing out in a way that reminded Harry of his Aunt Marge when he accidentally blew her up like a giant fat balloon. A bright burst of light was the only warning they got before Harry pulled up the strongest magical shield that he could. He infused a small portion of their soulmate bond to keep the shield going despite the explosion he knew was about to happen.

            When the light dimmed, Draco opened his eyes but helped Harry keep the shield up. He froze at the destruction around the room. Every single body in the room was burned to ashes. It was as if there truly had been an explosion. He could make out the spot where the _Partales_ had once been but only ash and singed pieces remained.

            “What the fuck just happened?” Harry demanded to know as he turned around the room.

            A bone chilling laughter could be heard in response. Harry shot Draco a panicked look as he looked around the decimated building. There wasn’t a single alive person in the room besides themselves. He jabbed Draco’s arm when he saw a pair of white eyes floating in the burned ceiling. “Until next time.” A whispered gravelly voice flittered through their shield. As quickly as the eyes had appeared, they were gone.

            Silence. Neither Harry nor Draco quite knew what to say after that. They looked around in horror at the ruined building that was still on fire from the explosion.

            Harry pointed towards the door that must have blown open during the explosion. “Let’s get out of here.” He wasn’t going to risk apparating out of the room. He wasn’t sure if the wards had failed during the explosion or not but getting splinched on top of the shitty day they have had so far, would just be the icing to their poisoned cake.

            They had barely made it outside of the building when the sound of apparating could be heard. They looked up warily at the newcomers. There was several wizards and witches with at least seven Goblins. Harry sighed in relief when he spotted Belinda. He never thought he would ever welcome her cold face.

            “What happened?” A goblin in the front of the group piped up. Harry figured this was the goblin in charge and elbowed Draco to do the talking. He still wasn’t quite as good as his husband when it came to dealing with Goblins. Plus, they seemed to be smitten with the Malfoy family.

            “The Dwarves took us captive to see if Harry would break into Gringotts for them.” Several gasps and suspicious looks were being sent Harry’s way.

            Harry rolled his eyes. “I turned them down. I was not about to do their dirty work for them.” He sighed when the looks didn’t go away. Stupid Goblins. Stupid Dwarves. Stupid Sinister Fairies. Stupid day. Stupid everything.

            “They had _Partales_ in the room.” Draco told them with a glare. He didn’t like the way they were looking at Harry. The goblins seemed to lose some color to their faces. Something that Harry had really only ever seen on Griphook when the Goblin was injured.

            “How are you alive?” Stefano asked with narrowed eyes.

            Draco arched a brow. “Well, I didn’t realize that the people who work for the Goblins wish that the heir to the Malfoy name _had_ died.”  

            Harry snorted loudly as Stefano paled drastically and the Goblins shot Stefano angry looks for insinuating such a thing.

            “N-no, I d-didn’t mean anything of the sort Mister Malfoy.” Stefano tried to reassure.

            A hand stilled the horrible apology. Draco was too tired to put up with Stefano. His body was sore, his lungs ached and he was in need of a _serious_ cuddle session with Harry to bring his erratic emotions in check. “Just stop.” He demanded tiredly. “I don’t know why we survived. The _Partales_ had attacked the Dwarves too. It would appear that they couldn’t keep their own hired assassins in check.” He heard chuckles from the Goblins, which made his stomach curl. Did they really have to be so heartless?

            “Something saved Harry and I in the end. I am not sure what it was. We didn’t actually see whoever saved us. All we know is that it killed one of the Sinister Fairies and then caused the other one to explode. The bodies turned to ash.”

            There was a stunned silence that followed Draco’s statement. “Now, if you will excuse us, we really need to leave.” They weren’t staying inside Sicily a single moment longer.

            “Wait.” The same Goblin that was their leader stopped them. Draco sighed heavily and turned to him.

            “You said that they wanted you to break into Gringotts.” The statement was said to Harry, who nodded warily.

            “Do you suppose that would be something that you would be interested in doing against the Dwarves?”

            Harry didn’t even have the energy to gape at them. He was doing it mentally inside of his head though. What the hell was wrong with this place? “Piss off.” He finally retorted when his wits returned to him.

            “Goodbye.” Draco called out hurriedly as he apparated the both of them far away from the hellhole that was Sicily.

                              

* * *

 

            Stefano frowned heavily when he walked into the recently vacated room. “I thought they said that the bodies turned to ash.”

            Belinda stared around the room with furrowed brows. There _were_ dead bodies all littered around on the floor but there was no evidence of an explosion, nor was there a single body that had turned to ash. “Maybe they meant the bodies looked ashy. This one _is_ kind of ashy.” She pointed to a pale grey body. “Although, it could just be because the guy looks ancient.” She mused before looking around the room.

            “Maybe.” Stefano conceded but it was obvious to Belinda that her new husband didn’t believe his own statement for a minute. Whatever happened here was not adding up to Draco and Harry’s retelling…

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think?
> 
> Apologies for calling Sicily a hellhole. That was in no way my personal opinion. Just the way the story turned out in my head. I am sure that Sicily is rather lovely. Mafia and all. :) 
> 
> Sinister Fairies. This was something that came to me by chance actually. I came up with the idea of some kind of magical being that has an opposite. I was totally stuck and couldn't think of what to call them. I tried to look up mythology and any kind of supernatural being that I could relate a duo that are opposites. Originally my inspiration was thing one and thing two from the cat in the hat. Butttt I didn't want them to be the same. I wanted them to be the complete opposite of each other. It took me days to figure out how I wanted to this chapter to go. It actually wasn't until about 12 hours ago that I started bouncing ideas off of my sister. I totally call her thousands of miles away for help. Gotta love family. She pointed out the resemblance to Charmed. Any Charmed fans out there? Totally was obsessed with that show when I was younger. I was a Piper fan all the way. I mean she got to go home to Leo... do I need to say more? Anyways, the point is that there was an episode of Charmed where the sisters had opposites of themselves. Like a bad version while they were the nice version. You will notice that I didn't quite do that with my story. There really is not a nice Partales. Not sure where the fairy aspect came to me but I liked it a lot. The name came from a combination of 'pair' and 'opposite fairies' in Latin. It was funny coming up with the combination. I was going to go with just 'opposite' in Latin but the translation was too long of a word to fit well with the story. I have way too much fun with all of this guys. 
> 
> You will most likely be confused as to some of the things that happened in the chapter. No, I will not explain what the floating eyes were. No, I will not explain why Belinda and Stefano couldn't see any evidence of the explosion. No, I will not give out spoilers. However, I will point out that about two chapters ago, I told you in the end notes that there are some clues that were in all of the chapters so far that point to what is going on. Some are blatantly obvious and some are really hard to detect. If you would like to tell me your theories, I am all ears. Although, I can't agree or disagree with your statements. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter. If it seems like there is a point where you are wondering why any of the chapters are relevant, I promise you that they are. I don't write meaningless chapters for no reason. There is always something in them that matter. 
> 
> The little disagreement between Harry and Draco. It wasn't a fight. Just a difference of opinion. I am not sure which side I take on that. I can understand the emotions Draco is talking about. Doing nothing while Harry dies, would be hard. So I can see where he is coming from. But Harry having to see Draco only care about his safety would be hard as well. Just for arguments sake, say that Draco had died, can you imagine the emotional back lash of knowing that Harry was only alive due to Draco's last spell? The survivors guilt would tear him to pieces. Not to mention me too. 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I think it is one of my favorites. Angry Harry always does something for me. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	7. St. Agnos and Their Unique Staff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the title was a play on the St. Mungo's chapter in the first story of the series. 
> 
> One thing going on with this chapter that you need to know going in, is that this was sort of a filler chapter. There is a key important part of the chapter that is relevant to the plot but the rest of it is more just the backlash of Sicily. Some emotional things and just them being themselves. 
> 
> Also, I have written this earlier than I have been lately. I don't know if this will be the day I post for this week or if I will release another chapter by Tuesday. I will have to see. So don't get your hopes up. 
> 
> Another also, please remember that I leave for Germany soon. I should have internet up until the eighth to the tenth. Somewhere around there and then once again when I settle into my new place. Again, I may just post it on my phone if I can get it to sound right. I will try and post another chapter before I leave! My plane takes off on the eleventh. We shall see. 
> 
> Other than that, enjoy this chapter.

            The first thing that Harry’s ears detected were the hustle and bustle of people before he felt Draco place a glamour charm on them, combined with a dampening spell to mask their bond. He looked around and furrowed his brows when it looked like they were in a reception area. This was not what he was expecting when Draco apparated them out of Sicily.

            “Where are we?” Harry asked at the same time as a loud horn sounded next to him, causing the both of them to startle in alarm.

            The noise turned out to be a man who had obviously been on the wrong side of a hex. The man’s mouth was enlarged and wide open with the end of a large tuba sticking out of it. It appeared to have been stuffed down his throat. Harry would hate to be that guy. Although, he wondered what kind of argument had ended in a situation like that.

            “We are-” Draco was cut off by another blow of the tuba. He shot the man a glare. “We are at-” This time a choking wheeze from the man interrupted him. Draco prayed for patience that he knew he didn’t have.

            “I apparated us to-” A particularly loud blow of the tuba had Draco clenching his fists tightly. “We are at a hospital in-” Draco had been cut off for the last time.

            Harry sighed when Draco turned around to the jinxed man. There was no stopping his husband when he was in a mood like this.

            “Excuse me.” Harry wasn’t even surprised that Draco managed to make the sentence into a command. The blonde had a way with tense situations.

            As soon as the annoying man looked to him, Draco smiled in a sweet fashion that he knew made people uneasy. “If you cannot keep that racket down then I will be forced to either gag you myself.” He paused to see the fear in the stranger’s eyes. “Or I will give you a horn to match the set… hell, I will fill every orifice on your body until you have the whole orchestra, if you cannot cease that godawful noise.” He threatened dangerously.

            Harry sighed heavily. Leave it to Draco to make friends everywhere they go.

            “Hey!” A female voice piped up angrily. They both looked to see a woman come up to the man. She had her messy brown hair tied up into a bun and a pissed off expression. “He can’t help it. It happens every time he tries to talk.”

            “You know the solution then, don’t you?” Draco retorted with a hand on his hip. He didn’t wait for the girl to respond. “If it only happens when he talks, then the obvious conclusion is, that he keeps his bloody trap shut.” He knew that he was taking a lot of his frustration and anger out on the couple but he couldn’t help it. The man was seriously annoying him with the noises.

            “Next!” A voice called, interrupting anything the woman would have said back to him.

            “Oh no.” Draco said in a fake positive voice. “You _obviously_ need more help than we do.” He held his arm out, gesturing for them to go ahead of them.

            _“Tu es completement debile.”_ The woman spat at him in French as she dragged her companion with her up to the desk.

            The translator spells were working just fine, so Harry heard her call Draco a moron.

            “Oh no, you didn’t.” Draco made to take a step forward but stopped when Harry wrapped his arms around his waist.

            “Baby.” Harry began with a kiss to Draco’s neck. “Ignore her. She is just upset about the whole situation and is probably letting out her frustrations on you.”

            Draco could clearly read between the lines and knew that Harry was talking about him and not her. He sagged into the strong arms holding him. “I know.” He said grudgingly. “I’m sorry.” He finally admitted with a whisper.

            Harry wanted to point out that it wasn’t him who needed the apology but it was enough for him that Draco actually _was_ sorry.

            “But he was annoying.” Draco couldn’t help but point out.

            Ahh. That was the blonde he truly knows.

            “How do you do it?” Draco whispered as he turned his head slightly to see Harry’s face.

            “Hmm?” Harry asked before trailing kisses on the pale neck in front of him.

            Draco closed his eyes at the contact and made a pleased hum. “How do you always know how to calm me down? You make everything okay, no matter the situation.”

            “I know you better than I know myself.” Harry answered honestly. “I know what you need because it is an extension of everything I need. When you are upset, so am I. When you need reassurance, so do I. When you need love, I will give it to you. When you need help, I will give you a hand. When you need me, I am right here.”

            The only warning Harry got was a flash of overwhelmed love before he had an armful of Draco. He ran his fingers through blonde hair as he ran a reassuring hand down his husband’s spine. He frowned when he felt all of the out of control emotions in the bond.

            A sob tore out of Draco’s mouth at Harry’s words. It wasn’t just the words, it was the emotions of the whole day and the emotions in the bond.

            “Hey.” Harry whispered, trying to get Draco’s attention. “What’s wrong, love?”

            Draco shook his head from his spot on Harry’s shoulder. “It’s _everything_.”

            That clearly explained it all, Harry thought wryly to himself with a shake of his head. He had no idea what Draco was talking about but he didn’t like the emotions in the bond.

            “We almost died.” Draco whispered. “Again.” He added in an afterthought. “I am so sick of that. When do we get a break? When do I get to just enjoy you? When do I get to spend the rest of my life with you, without worrying about what’s around the corner? I just want to be safe with you. This is our honeymoon and not even that can be peaceful. I am just so tired of all of this.”

            Harry froze where he stood as years of insecurities washed through him. Was Draco saying that he was too much? He had been too much for the Dursleys and too much to be a normal kid at Hogwarts. Was Draco saying that all of the crazy shite with his life was too much to live with? Was Draco whishing he hadn’t married him? He could feel the love that the blonde held for him but was that enough? Would Draco ever grow tired of this? This wasn’t the first life that they had where he was too much. He had been the reason for going to the Flamels the first night. Was Draco going to regret multiple lifetimes? Was Draco realizing that maybe simplicity was better suited than a forever with him?

            Self-loathing, fear, worry, gut clenching sadness and despair were pummeling through the bond. So much so, that Draco would have toppled over if it wasn’t for Harry’s arms still around him. He lifted his head up to see Harry staring off into the distance, eyes that would’ve been green if it wasn’t for the glamour, were wide and almost haunted. He lifted his hands to place them on either side of Harry’s face but Harry flinched away, as if he had been burned. Draco stepped away as he tried to stomp the hurt away. Why wouldn’t Harry let him touch him?

            “Harry?” Draco whispered. He watched Harry’s eyes close in pain and he wasn’t sure what was going on. “What’s wrong?” When there was no response, he tried again. “Have I said something?”

            “Are you regretting it?” Harry kept his eyes closed and his voice low.

            Draco had to step forward just to hear what Harry was saying. “Regretting what? I am afraid I am not following.”

            When Harry’s eyes opened, Draco’s heart clenched at the tears brimming. This would always be his undoing. He could handle a lot of things but seeing Harry cry would always be the worst. It was just an all-around sense of _wrong_ every time his soulmate grew sad.

            “Us.” Harry was proud that his voice didn’t waiver. In his head, he was _definitely_ wavering.

            Draco blinked rapidly at the unexpected answer. “What??” He asked incredulously. “Why would I ever regret us?” He was panicking slightly. Why would Harry ask something like that? Was Harry regretting them? Is that why he was asking that? He couldn’t help his own tears from forming.

            “What you said. That you are tired of all of this. The fighting and the death threats. The Flamels were because of me, both times. That is on me. Maybe all of this is too much for you. Maybe… I am too much for you.”

            He sucked in a breath as he stared at Harry. Draco shook his head rapidly. “No. No. No.” He said over and over again. “I could never regret us.” He promised before wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck, he prayed that Harry wouldn’t reject the touch again. He breathed in relief when Harry wrapped his arms around him. “I love you Harry.” Draco didn’t understand where all of the insecurities were coming from. “I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t. I have loved you since the moment you offered me that flower.” His smile was watery when combined with his tears as he thought back to their first life. “There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t thank my lucky stars that I have you.”

            Harry didn’t want to relax but the truth in the bond was making him do so regardless.

            “Even the shittiest day in the world, like today, is better than a single moment without you.” Draco knew that was cheesy but he just couldn’t help it. He needed to make Harry understand that he was telling the truth. “A perfectly safe and mundane day without you, couldn’t tempt me in the slightest. I would take deadly and dangerous any day, as long as I got to experience it with you.”

            Love, worry, adoration, honesty and a sense of urgency was what Harry could detect in the bond. His lover meant every word. Harry sagged underneath it all as his worries began to lift.

            “Please don’t ever think I don’t want us, because I will _always_ want you. You, Harry, are my home.” Said Draco. He frowned when he could sense some lingering insecurities. “Where is this coming from?”

            Harry sighed, not sure how to express his worries and doubts. “It’s just… with the Dursleys…” He smiled at the flash of anger in the bond when he mentioned his family. “They didn’t want me. I wasn’t enough for them. I was too weird, too odd, too magical, too much. I was just too much for them and not enough of what they wanted me to be.” He felt Draco’s arms tighten around him and he reveled in the open love in the bond.

           “At school, I was too much to be normal. Not as powerful as some hoped and too reckless to be taken seriously. No matter what I did, I wasn’t enough. Everyone is always changing their opinions of me and sometimes I can’t keep up with it all. Do they like me? Do they hate me? People are fickle and emotions shouldn’t be. I just guess I am worried you will one day think I am too much. A liability.”

            Draco dropped his mouth open in surprise. He went to speak but Harry just barreled right through.

            “Our honeymoon _should_ be peaceful. It _should_ be simple and safe. There shouldn’t be danger on it. It seems like wherever I go, we encounter _something_ dangerous and I just worry that-” A hand over his mouth stopped him short. He looked curiously at Draco.

            “Stop.” Draco demanded a little harshly. He watched Harry flinch and he sighed heavily before sending an apology in the bond.

            “Your family is the worst sort of muggles I have ever heard about.” Before their honeymoon, that might come across as empty but since meeting muggles all over the world, he has come to have knowledge about them and his statement stood true. “They didn’t appreciate the gem that you are. They didn’t see the beauty that I do. They don’t see the Harry that is wonderful and true. They don’t get you because they never tried. Their shortcomings should never be your insecurities. Their faults are not something that you should take to mean as your own doing. They were despicable, cruel and just downright horrid. I would love to show them the end of my wand.” He growled just thinking about all the things he would love to do to them. He looked back to Harry and smiled sadly at the wonder in his face.

            “As for school.” He shrugged. “Children are stupid, vapid and still learning. I was the perfect example of this. As a child, you tend to think you know everything. You tend to think that the little things are important, like who is dating who. What so and so said to their girlfriend. Who made the quidditch team and who forgot the password to the common room. Rivalries and friendships tend to stick out and are blown out of proportion. Life is more important than the little things. What the people in school don’t understand is that they are contained and sheltered to what real life is like. I don’t mean the harshness of the world, the war fixed that, I mean that they don’t quite understand some of life’s real lessons. Soon they will stop caring about who is dating who and start caring about where they will live. Or what job they will have, the food on the table and the people they will share it all with. Those are important things.” Draco sighed heavily, hoping this was all coming out how he wanted it to.

            “I am not trying to say that their behavior is excusable because they are kids. I am trying to say that they are still learning. They are still held responsible and will eventually learn all of this themselves. I guess I am trying to say that it is like before, their shortcomings are not something that should reflect against yourself. They may only see what they want to, when they look at you but that isn’t a fault of yours. It is a fault of theirs. If they change their opinion of you then that is a shame for them. They are the ones missing out on the wonder that you are. Not the other way around.” Draco smiled warmly at Harry as he brushed a stray tear away.

            “Now, for the last bit of your statement.” He narrowed his eyes at Harry. “Have I ever given you a single moment where you would doubt me? Have I made you question my love for you? Have there been times where I have made you think that I don’t want us?” He removed his hand but placed a finger on Harry’s lips when it looked like his husband was going to answer.

            “Shh.” Draco whispered. “Because if I have, then I want to apologize.” He felt the surprise in the bond and he shook his head. “It has never been my intention for you to doubt my love for you or our marriage.” He closed his eyes for a moment when they began to sting in emotion. “Merlin, I love you.” He told Harry when he opened his eyes. He felt the tears fall but he ignored them. “I love you more than anything else. I don’t know what I would do without you. I am not going anywhere. I am not changing my mind about us. I am not changing my opinion of you. I love you as much as I ever have. I-I don’t know how to make you understand. I-I just… I just love you.” He finished in frustration, not really sure how to make it stick in Harry’s head.

            The frustration and love in the bond had Harry feeling a little guilty. He _knew_ Draco loved him. They weren’t bonded soulmates for no reason. It wasn’t the love that he had been worried about. “I think I just let my insecurities get to me.” Harry told him as he lifted Draco’s chin up so that he could see him better. He pushed a little magic into the glamor so that he could look past the unknown face and see the one he loved so much.

            “I have never doubted your love for me. I know you love me just as much as I love you.” He took one of Draco’s hands and pressed it against his chest. “I don’t know if it is the horrible day and my emotions just got the better of me or if this was just some deep-rooted fear that I had. I know you aren’t going anywhere.” Which was true. He knew that they would be together forever and not because they were tied by the ceremony, but because they _wanted_ to be together. “I’m sorry, Draco.” He pressed his forehead against Draco’s. “I am sorry that I made you question things. I am sorry I questioned things. I am just sorry.”            

            Draco nuzzled the side of Harry’s jaw as he let all the emotions bleed away. He dug into the bond until he felt their love. He sighed delightedly at how much of it there was. Their love was so deep and so strong that it never failed to surprise him. This was all he had to think about the next time either one of them fell to insecurities. “It’s alright.” He reassured. “I love you and we are okay.” He meant that in the physical, mental and relationship sense of the word.

            “I love you too, Draco.” Harry whispered as he held on tightly to the man he loved. “Let’s go to a random country. You pick the place. Anywhere you want to go. As long as tonight I just get to hold on to you. Today has been hell and I just want to do nothing right along with you.”

            “Anywhere?” Draco arched a brow as he hid a smile in Harry’s neck. “We are in Paris right now.”

            Harry tilted Draco’s head back in surprise. “Are we really?” He looked around the room in interest. Not that the room was any indicator of the city they were in. He noticed that several employees were looking at them in interest. He flushed in the realization that they had just had an emotional moment in public.

            “St. Agnos.” Draco explained. “I didn’t want to go to St. Mungos, especially after their awful service the last time we visited. I could have gone to several hospitals but this one is one that I got my father to donate to, so I figured why not?” He noticed the odd looks they were receiving so he glared at them till they looked away. It wasn’t like two overly emotional men were a thing of gossip. Nothing interesting to look at.

            “But, why are we here?” It wasn’t like going to a hospital was bad, Harry just didn’t see the importance of being here. They were alright. Nothing too lingering had resulted in their awful trip to Sicily.

            “Because I want us to get checked over.” Draco’s tone suggested that Harry was being rather obtuse. “I want to make sure that all the extra toxins are not in our bodies. I want to make sure our respiratory track is doing all right after the lack of air. I can give us potions but I am not skilled enough to know if they are even required. I would prefer a professional opinion.”

            Harry sighed heavily. “I suppose that makes sense.” He said rather reluctantly. He wasn’t one for hospitals. They made him itch uncomfortably. Plus, he wasn’t exactly a people person. The less contact he had with others, was better for him.

            They made their way up to the receptionist. The man behind the desk was definitely interesting. He had his orange hair spiked in every direction, bright purple glasses, polka dotted robes and a giant yellow stripped bow tie. Harry could feel the bubbling hysteria in the bond from Draco and had to force his expression to not show his own amusement.

            Draco thought his lungs and stomach were hurting from not laughing. It wasn’t that he thought the man shouldn’t be allowed to wear whatever he wanted, it was just the surprise of the whole outfit. He knew that this man would get along with Luna. They were definitely unique.

            “Well aren’t you two just adorable.” The man told them with a giant grin.

            Neither one of them were sure how to respond to that. They shared a look before looking back at the receptionist.

            “What seems to be the problem?”

            Draco cleared his throat. “We just need an examination. There might be some lung issues and possible toxins.”

            “That would be the third floor. Hopefully you feel better!” He smiled warmly at them. “Next!” He yelled before they even walked away.

            Harry blinked at the sudden dismissal before being dragged away by Draco. They passed the security guards who nodded politely at them. Draco rather liked this hospital much better than St. Mungos. He would have to tell his father to up the donations here.

            They had barely passed the stairs leading to the entrance to the first floor when they heard someone scream at the top of their lungs.

            “What was that?” Harry whispered in alarm. Should someone be screaming like that in a hospital? It sounded like they were dying. On second thought, he had to admit that the possibility wasn’t too out there.

            Draco pointed to the sign over the entrance with a frown, it took him a moment to realize that it was in French and Harry had no idea what it said. _“Loss of Limb Level.”_ He shuddered to think of the limb that the person had lost that would cause a scream like that.

            They both shared uneasy looks before hurrying up the next flight of steps, hoping to be far enough away to not hear any further screams. Draco looked at the second level and shook his head at the sign. _“Dumb Hexes and Dimwitted Solutions.”_ He snorted. “Lovely title.”

            “It does not say that.” Harry countered with a laugh. “You are taking the mickey out of me.”

            “No, I promise it does.” Draco told him as he laughed warmly. “Slytherin honor.”

            Harry arched a brow as he paused in the entrance to their level. “What exactly is your Slytherin honor worth?” He wondered suspiciously. He had never heard of Slytherin honor before.

            Draco gasped theatrically. “Oh, you wound me! I would never question your Gryffindor honor.”

            “That’s because there is no such thing as Gryffindor honor.” Harry retorted. He felt a flash of triumph in the bond and he glared in response. “That is not what I meant! You tricked me. Gryffindors have honor, just not in that way!”

            Draco smirked wickedly, showing his perfect teeth. “I always knew Gryffindors had no honor. It is nice being vindicated.” His smirk widened at the low grumbling coming from Harry. He thought he might have detected something along the lines of, ‘I’ll show you how much your Slytherin honor means to me.’

            “Come on love.” Draco chided as he made to move. “No sense in pouting over something we both knew was true.” He smirked at the irritation in the bond. Sometimes he lived to bait Harry. It was always fun.

            Harry rolled his eyes but made to follow Draco into their level. Or… he was supposed to. He ended up slamming into Draco’s unmoving form. “Why aren’t you moving?” Harry complained. He saw his lover point to the sign above the entrance. He narrowed his eyes at the French. Harry was confused, Draco knew that he didn’t know any French. He waved his hand in the air to translate it. He took a step back when the words cleared.

            _‘Physical Examinations and the Unfortunate Bodies that Didn’t Make it. (Morgue)’_

            “Is it normal to have a morgue in the hospital?” Harry whispered nervously.

            Draco nodded his head slowly. “Yes. I don’t know about muggle hospitals but Magical ones do. It is usually a floor beneath ground level. No access to the public and _definitely_ not a level normal patients can reach.”

            “I don’t like that it is on this level. Are they insinuating that regular physical examinations end in dead bodies?” Harry asked as he tried taking another step back but Draco shot out a hand and gripped his wrist tightly.

            “No, they aren’t saying that. Not all physical examinations are bad. Most of them are routine and normal.” Harry narrowed his eyes as he tried to detect a falsehood in the statement. He sighed when he felt none. Great. That meant they were going to walk in there. The sign was obvious! Why were they going to walk in there? This had to be a bad omen.

            “Come on, my brave lion.” Draco said with a small smile. He loved that Harry wasn’t always brave, it made life interesting. “I will protect you.” He couldn’t help but snicker.

            “Kiss my arse.” Harry retorted snidely, with narrowed eyes as he entwined their fingers and marched into the room.

            Draco loved that Harry kept physical contact even though he was upset. It made his heart beat faster and warmth pool in his gut.

            A fleeting fluster in the bond caused Harry to turn to see Draco’s face. He knew that Draco was a sap at heart and he loved it. There was a soft pleased look on his husband’s face that had his own heart beating faster. They locked eyes and momentarily got lost in each other.

            “Well aren’t you two just adorable?”

            Harry looked up and gaped openly at the man in front of them. He scratched his head and looked behind him at the way they came and then looked back to the guy. The employee looked _just_ like the receptionist down stairs. The same orange hair, only lying flat. The same purple glasses, only smaller frame. The same yellow bow, only not stripped. The same polka dotted robes, only smaller dots.

            The confusion coming from Harry was the same thing flowing through Draco. He arched a brow at the man. “We just met your brother downstairs.” Draco supplied the only obvious conclusion.

            “Brother?” The man asked in clear confusion. “Sorry but I have no brothers. I have a sister but that is all.”

            Draco scoffed incredulously as Harry began explaining. “Oh- well, we just ran into the receptionist downstairs and you two look nearly identical.”

            “You mean Bryce?” The man asked with a considering look. “Huh. Can’t say anyone has ever said that to me before.” Draco actually dropped his mouth open in surprise. “My name is Anwir.” The guy held out his hand politely.

            When Harry went to take the man’s hand, he felt a jab of negativity in the bond. He looked to Draco curiously but detected a small shake of his husband’s head in reply. He shrugged internally. If Draco didn’t want him touching the guy, then he wouldn’t. He had only tried to be polite.

            “Sorry, we could be contagious.” Draco lied smoothly. “Wouldn’t want you to get sick.”

            Anwir smiled in understanding. “Oh, I get it. Get a lot of sick people. Should have asked first.” The man shook his head. “Go ahead through the first door on your left. Healer Asante was notified by Bryce that he would have new patients.” He gestured to where they could go down the hall. “It was nice meeting you.”

            Harry blinked at the odd dismissal, again. He wanted to ask the guy if he was _positive_ that he wasn’t related to the man downstairs but decided against it. Maybe they just didn’t like being brothers. It wasn’t any of his business.

            “That was weird.” Harry whispered as soon as they made it halfway down the hall away from Anwir.

            Draco looked over his shoulder and caught Anwir waving politely at them before the man went over to a desk and began filing some kind of report. “Yes. It was. Something was weird about the whole thing. How could they _not_ be related?”

            “Maybe one of them is obsessed with the other one and started dressing alike.” Harry said with a shrug.

            Draco stopped to stare at his lover with arched brows. “Well, that escalated quickly.”

            “What?” Harry asked in defense. “It was just a theory.”

            “Yeah, an odd one.” Draco retorted before knocking on their designated door.

            The door opened to reveal a man in his late fifties with long grey hair tied in a ponytail. “Welcome, my name is healer Asante.” The healer moved to the side to allow them in. He pointed to two chairs next to a bed. “If you both could sit down, I will run some diagnostic spells on you.”

            They sat down a little warily as the man pulled out his wand. “What should I call you gentlemen?”

            Draco thought it was rather weird way of asking someone their name. “We would rather not say.” He hedged firmly. He didn’t think that they were in any danger here in France but he wasn’t going to take any chances. The less people that knew who they were, the better.

            The man waved away the vague explanation. “That is alright. We get that a lot sometimes. We just have to have an account to bill you with.” Draco nodded his head. He expected as much. He summoned a piece of parchment from the man’s desk and quickly wrote out his father’s account that was for miscellaneous spending. He watched the healer lift up the paper in speculation before grinning in satisfaction.  

            “Alright gentlemen, let us begin.”

            Harry thought the diagnostic spell tingled a little. He couldn’t remember Madam Pomfrey’s spells feeling like this, but she also wasn’t a healer, more of a nurse.

            “Hmm.” The healer said with furrowed brows as he looked at Harry curiously before performing the same spell on Draco. “I am detecting heavy toxins in the body. I will abide by your wishes to keep your identity but I must express the importance of being honest about what has happened. I don’t need all of the details but to treat you properly, I would like to know what exactly caused the toxins. Was it gas, a spell, a potion gone wrong or perhaps foul play?”

            They both looked to each other debating on what to say. Harry shrugged his shoulders, letting Draco know that it was up to him to decide. He bit his lip to stop from smiling at the flash of irritation in the bond. He knew how much his indecisive nature could bug Draco.

            “We encountered _Partales._ ” Draco decided to go with the truth. He would like proper care, especially since he was paying for it. Or rather his father, but who cared about such minor details?

            The healer jerked in shock before gaping openly at them.

            “They were body manipulators.” Draco offered weakly when the man just stared at them. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so candid.

            It took a moment for the healer to regain his equilibrium. “Well.” He said in a choked voice. “That would explain the added strain on some of your organs as well.” He shook his head as he began summoning a couple potions. “ _Partales_.” The healer whispered in horror. “No wonder you don’t want to reveal your names.”

            Harry scrunched up his nose in distaste. “We aren’t like killers or anything.”

            Draco closed his eyes as he restrained from groaning. Statements like that kind of made it sound like they _were_ killers. He saw the healer pale slightly.

            “I wasn’t insinuating that you were.” Healer Asante said in a forced politeness. “Did not mean to insult.”

            Harry opened his mouth to try and explain but Draco shook his head. He sighed in resignation. Great, he just made a fool of himself.

            “Good news is there is no lasting damage.” The healer began in a firm voice, not looking at Harry. “You both will be fine with some potions that I will send you home with. Take them every four hours for today and tomorrow only. It is imperative that you don’t take it longer than necessary.” He warned before handing over the potions in a small bag.

            Draco nodded his agreement as he pulled out a couple. He took the lid off one of them and sniffed. He cocked his head to the side as he took in the smell. He held it up to Harry’s nose as well. “Replenishing potion.” He mused in agreement. That was something he expected.

            Harry furrowed his brows. “Yeah, but I don’t smell any Lobalug Venom.” He looked to Draco to see if his husband had detected something he hadn’t. “Usually a replenishing potion has that added in to enhance the potency.” He looked to the healer who was regarding them curiously. “Lobalug Venom isn’t something that is typically added to many potions. The venom is dangerous. Especially when it reacts to the skin. Pops veins but I am sure you knew that with your training and all.” He saw the color drain from the man’s face and he frowned. What was wrong with him? Harry groaned when he realized how that could have been interpreted. “I didn’t mean that I had tested it out! I just read about it, academically.” He tried to reassure. By the continuing decrease of color in the guy’s face, Harry realized that he was not going to convince the man that he wasn’t a killer.

            “Fairy wings.” Draco blurted out, partly in the hopes to distract the healer form Harry’s atrocious explanations but also as an answer. He saw Harry turn to him in confusion. “Fairy wings were added instead.”

            “Hmm.” Harry hummed in thought. “I wouldn’t have detected that.” He was impressed with Draco’s sense of smell. Fairy wings didn’t particularly smell like anything. He looked to the healer curiously. “Why would you recommend a replenishing potion with fairy wings? Potions with ingredients like that tend to be… erratic.” Fairies were mischievous and all over the place. When their wings are added to potions, it can be either hit or miss. Sometimes the wings embody the mischievousness of their previous fairy and do odd and unpredictable things to potions.

            Harry sighed when the healer still wouldn’t look at him. The man answered the question as if Draco had asked it. “When done correctly, the replenishing potion made with fairy wings can have extra boosts in healing main arteries and clearing the pathways efficiently. Which is something I feel would be effective here.”

            Draco had to agree with the statement, even if it was slightly unconventional. He looked to the rest of the potions in the bag. He knew that the man was probably offended that he was checking them but he wasn’t about to drink anything that he didn’t check first. He wasn’t a Slytherin for no reason. Not to mention it was just common sense.

            Once Draco was satisfied that the rest of the potions were made correctly, he thanked the healer for seeing them.

            “Oh, it was a pleasure.” The healer replied in false politeness. Harry nearly threw his hands up in the air when the guy kept shooting him nervous looks. He was torn from wanting to hex the guy and screaming that he wasn’t a murderer. Out of the two of them, he figured Draco would appear to be more of a murderer than him. It just wasn’t fair.

            As they made their way towards the door, Healer Asante’s voice stopped them.

            “If you see my assistant on your way out, thank them for me, will you? I almost forgot that the shift switch would leave me without an assistant for half an hour. I would’ve had to come get you myself if they hadn’t told you to come back. They must have arrived early today.”

            Draco shrugged as he opened the door. “I will tell Anwir if he is still out there.” He wasn’t particularly fond of talking to the guy but it was only a simple message. The door closing shut off any response the man might have retorted with.

            As it turned out, Anwir wasn’t in sight. Not that either of them cared. When they made their way back down the stairs towards the apparation point, Harry caught sight of the second-floor sign. “Huh.” He scratched his head. “It really does say, _‘Dumb Hexes and Dimwitted Solutions’_.”

            Draco scoffed. “I am offended that you doubted me. Would I lie to you?”

            Harry regarded his husband with a narrowed, considering look. “If you could get away with it, absolutely.” The smirk he got in reply was enough for him to know that he had been correct in his assumption.

            An arm circled Harry’s waist as Draco rested his head on his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here. I feel like taking these potions and worshipping your body before we settle in for the night.”

            Harry looked around to make sure that no one heard Draco before leaning in to whisper, “What if I wanted to do the worshipping?” He laughed loudly when Draco grabbed his arm and practically ran them towards the exit. He would never get tired of life with Draco, that was for sure.

                                         

* * *

 

            Healer Asante watched the door close in confusion. “Who?” He called after them but it was of no use, the two gentlemen were already gone. “Anwir?” He said the name out loud, trying to place it. He furrowed his brows as he recalled the man who was less threatening implying that it was a male assistant that sent them back here. None of his assistants assigned to his ward today were male and certainly none of his other assistants on other days were of that name. Perhaps the two men got the name wrong, weirder things were known to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not sure if I will have much after notes for this chapter. 
> 
> The emotional bit of this chapter. I feel like facing the near death that they just had, they would be more emotional than most. Misunderstandings happen and sometimes emotions just get the better of people. Draco's insight seemed a little 'wise' to me but also keep in mind that this is their third life. So he is an old soul. Harry, well I feel like he would have some insecurities from the Dursleys. I would like to emphasize that he was not questioning their love or the relationship per se, because he can feel the love and he knows that Draco would never leave. 
> 
> I would like to point out that every name in this chapter had a reason for it. I won't tell you the meaning. I would like you to look it up yourself, because I don't really want to verbally give things away. If you look up Asante, make sure you get the French meaning of the name. Bryce, look up the Scottish meaning of the name. Anwir, you don't need an origin, google should pick that up. If you don't feel like looking it up that is fine. The meaning behind the names aren't really that important. You won't be missing out on anything if you don't know the meanings. They are just something I worked with. 
> 
> No, I won't be explaining anything to do with Anwir. That is something you will have to wait on. 
> 
> Hopefully you all liked this chapter. Let me know. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	8. Suspicious Behavior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT WARNING It will be designated with a bolded (*)
> 
> Guten tag! Yes, I am afraid that is all I have learned so far in German. No judgement. Just kidding, totally judge my own short comings. So, the move to Germany was successful. My housing hasn't been assigned but I am a patient woman. Sometimes. Germany is beautiful! I am thrilled to spend the next three years here. The sleeping has got me fucked up. I am not used to sleeping when I am normally waking up. Other than that I am enjoying it here. 
> 
> I apologize greatly for the lapse in posting. Moving was... difficult. You don't even want to know what I had to go through to make sure I got most of my stuff. Yes I do mean most. It's a long story. I will hopefully be able to update at a quicker pace. Again, you have my apologies. 
> 
> Anyways. Here is the next chapter! Hopefully you enjoy it.

           Draco wasn’t sure what exactly woke him up. He sighed internally at the light he could feel shining on him from behind closed lids. He should have closed the curtains last night but they _had_ been rather distracted. Draco grinned when he remembered the rushed registration of their hotel. The clerk had barely contained his disgust at their roaming hands and long drawn out kisses. They had answered the bare minimum amount of questions and might have given the wrong name for their room. It was a blur really, how could the employee expect him to speak clearly with Harry’s mouth on his neck and his lover’s hand on his thigh? The rest of the night flashed just as quickly. It had been a tangle of limbs and thrusting bodies.

            He was about to fall back asleep and ignore the sun shining throughout the room but then a warm hand started smoothing sweet circles on his hip. He smiled at the feel of Harry’s hand on his body. Draco knew that Harry was aware that he was awake. There was a small amount of humor in the bond, mixed in with a lot of love. This didn’t deter him from keeping quiet. Illusions were something he liked occasionally. He wasn’t going to break the quiet to speak up.

            Harry furrowed his brows when he felt a flash of determination in the bond. He wondered if that was supposed to mean something. That coupled with Draco’s odd silence was making him quite curious. Draco wasn’t a quiet person, at all. His soulmate was almost _always_ talking. Hell, most of the time he couldn’t get the other man to shut up. Not that he wanted that, Harry adored everything Draco had to say, as long as it didn’t get them in trouble. Which unfortunately happened a lot.

            If Draco was going to remain quiet, then it was up to him to try and get his lover to speak. He grinned when a sudden idea came to him. He knew the _exact_ way to make the blonde vocal. It might be a little unorthodox but certainly pleasurable.

            There was only a couple seconds warning for Draco to suspect anything. The blonde felt curiosity, satisfaction and a lot of mischievousness in the bond. The hand that had been on his hip slid down lower and lower causing Draco to suck in a breath. Was Harry going to use sex against him? That would be just plain cruel.

            When questing fingers trailed sensuously down his spine and straight to his cheeks, he had his answer. Yes, Harry was going to use sex against him. If he wasn’t trying to focus on not paying attention to those wonderfully wicked fingers, he might have appreciated the Slytherin tactic of going right for the jugular.

**(*)**

            The smooth skin of Draco’s arse made Harry’s eyes go half lidded. This may have started out as a means of making his husband talk but he wasn’t going to stop at teasing. He was going to continue this further. Whether he won or lost, his cock was going to be buried inside the man he loved.

            Draco couldn’t help but melt at the firm pressure to his furled entrance. He willingly leaned back on to the lone finger. A breath escaped him when the digit breached him. He wanted to thrust back but he also didn’t want to seem eager.

            “You are still a little open from last night.” Harry whispered hotly against Draco’s ear. He added another finger just to make sure that Draco was stretched enough.

            Draco had to bite his lip to stop from crying out and the pleasure of the extra finger. It was good but not enough to make him speak out. He tried to ignore Harry’s words. He didn’t want to think about last night. He didn’t want to remember how good and hard Harry fucked him. He closed his eyes when exactly what he didn’t want to think about, flashed in his mind. He almost moaned at the memory of being held against the wall and pounded into relentlessly.

            The spike of lust that came a few seconds after his statement, let Harry know that Draco was trying to ignore him. Key word trying. He summoned the jar of lube to his hand as he nibbled lightly on Draco’s earlobe.

            “Are you remembering last night, baby?” He tongued the lobe before sucking it into his mouth. “Are you remembering how I opened you up with my tongue before using my fingers to stretch you?” He heard a hitched breath and grinned internally at his victory.

            He hadn’t been remembering that until Harry mentioned it. Harry’s tongue was simply divine and should be illegal. He couldn’t help it, he thrust back onto those fingers as he replayed the memory of that sinful tongue pushing its way in and out of his arsehole.

            Harry moaned lowly, straight into Draco’s ear at the thrust. He loved it when Draco showed how much he was enjoying himself. “That’s it baby.” He praised as he slicked up his throbbing erection. He quickly withdrew his fingers and immediately thrusted inside Draco’s body.

            He couldn’t stop the loud moan if he tried. Draco arched his back and let out a deep guttural moan as he was filled. “Harry.” He cursed his inability to keep quiet but quickly lost focus when he felt Harry withdraw before sliding back in and hitting his prostate spot on.

            A grunt escaped Harry’s mouth at his name falling from those tantalizing lips.  He didn’t even care that he had technically won this silent challenge. Nothing else mattered except for Draco’s tight heat and the pleasure that was mounting.

            Draco panted harshly at the next deep thrust. He tried thrusting back, to get Harry to go harder but his lover wasn’t doing what he wanted.

            “No.” Harry told him firmly. “We are going to do it just like this.” His hips were moving slowly but with a mission. Each aim of his cock was deep and right at Draco’s prostate. “I love it when we go rough and hard but also slow and deep.” He punctuated the last word with a deep piston of his hips.

            Draco might have protested but another jab at his prostate had him gripping the sheets while his mind blanked in its ecstasy. “Mmm. Whatever you want Harry.”

            Harry almost stuttered to a stop once Draco’s words registered. He knew that his lover wasn’t even aware that he had spoken. Words like that didn’t come out of the blonde… ever. This was almost a historic moment. One that he would demand recognition for… after they were done.

            Draco let out a keening whine when Harry’s already slow thrusts seemed to drag down. Why was Harry torturing him? What had he done to deserve such teasing? He opened his mouth to demand that his husband pick up the pace but before he could utter a word, the previously slow thrusts picked up pace, causing Draco to let out a choked moan.

            “Yes.” Draco moaned out. “Just like that.” He praised when his prostate was pinched particularly hard. He loved how full he felt with Harry’s prick inside him. Loved the way he felt empty when Harry slid out but had no time to miss it before he was being filled again.

            Harry closed his eyes when Draco’s already tight arse tightened further around him. “I always forget how good you feel until I am in you.”

            “Maybe you- _fuck_ \- should fuck me- _right there! -_ more often.” Draco meant it too. He didn’t mind how they had sex. He loved being inside Harry just as much as he loved Harry fucking into him.

            “Maybe I will.” Harry was panting now, trying to keep up the slow pace as he drew closer to completion. It was harder than he thought it would be. His dick was telling him to just thrust into the willing pliant body.

            "So good." Draco panted out as his eyes closed. "I'm not going to last." He warned as he clenched around Harry. He was trying to speed things along, to get Harry as revved up as him.  

            The half dying choked noise that escaped his mouth was not something that Harry was proud of. Damnit. He reached out a hand to grab Draco's prick in retaliation. He smirked briefly at the loud groan that echoed off the walls.

            "Fuck Draco." Harry could feel the dripping precum making his grip slick and slippery. "You are so wet."

            The pleasure in the bond spiked. Draco couldn't tell what was his and what wasn't. It didn't matter, it felt too good. He might have been embarrassed at the amount of precum if Harry's cock wasn't inside of him but he just couldn't muster up any shame or embarrassment. Definitely not when everything felt so pleasurable.

            "I love it." Harry elaborated. "I love how much you are enjoying yourself. Love how tight you are. Love how wet your dick is getting." The closer Draco got to climaxing, Harry could feel more precum coming out. It was intoxicating to think that he was the cause of this.

            "Nngh." Draco wasn't sure if that was a moan or a him attempting to respond to Harry. "Love you." That was all he could manage to get out before he was thrusting back onto the thick cock inside him.

            "Draco." Harry moaned. He felt his balls tighten and his muscles clench. "I'm going to..." He trailed off right before he slammed into Draco hard, burying himself in the impossibly tight heat and coming in thick ropes.

            Draco's eyes rolled into the back of his head when he felt the warm splashes of Harry's come. He ground against Harry a couple times before he seized up and spilled all over Harry's hand with a shout of Harry's name.

**(*)**

            "What a way to start the day." Draco tried catching his breath as he listened to Harry's erratic breathing in his ear. Harry placed an open mouth kiss to Draco's sweaty shoulder as he cast a cleaning charm on them.

            "I agree." Harry continued placing kisses along Draco's body, much to the blonde's pleasure. "Should we stay in bed all day and keep up this great start to the day?"

            "As tempting as that option is." Draco began, tilting his head further up so that Harry could have better access to it. "I would like to show you the city. Paris has a lot to offer."

           Harry lifted his head. "So I have my very own sexy tour guide?"

           "I will be whatever you want me to be." Draco offered with a sly smirk. He got off the bed and swayed his naked hips in a way he knew Harry would like. The flash of desire in the bond was proof of this. "Get ready, love." Draco told him over his shoulder as he made his way to the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

 

 

            They were standing at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower a little distance away debating if they would eat dinner at one of the restaurants inside or if they would go somewhere else.

            “It will no doubt be ridiculously expensive inside there.” Harry pointed out as he watched a bunch of people rushing around taking pictures. He loved people watching, it was interesting trying to understand the minds of bystanders. 

            “What do I care about trivial things like that?” Draco distractedly asked as he tried finding where he placed his muggle wallet. He would need it if they were to go inside. He really wished muggles weren’t so difficult and that their money wasn’t so odd.

            Harry rolled his eyes as he finally looked to his husband. He almost snorted at the frustrated man. How hard could it possibly be to keep track of muggle money?

            “Money isn’t trivial.” Harry chastised. He knew that they both had a lot of money in this lifetime but that hadn’t always been the case.

            Draco paused in his quest to give Harry a searching look. He remembered how hard it had been for Ethan to care for the both of them during their last life. Money had been tight and something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. “You are right.” He admitted with an apology. “It is easy to get lost in this lifetime, I overlooked what it was like when we didn’t have this.”

            “It’s alright.” Harry pulled Draco into his arms and pressed a gentle kiss to his nose. “Did you decide if you want to eat inside or not?”

            A pale eyebrow arched in response. “Why is it that _I_ always have to be the deciding factor? When will you be the decisive one?”

            “Let me get back to you on that when I have decided.” Harry retorted with a cheeky grin.

            Draco let out a long drawn out sigh. “Why did I not see that coming?” He held up a finger when it looked like Harry was going to reply. “That was rhetorical, angel.”

            As Draco began his search for his damn wallet again, he felt a pleased tingle in the bond. He smiled softly when he realized that it was over the endearment. Draco knew that Harry hadn’t had much love or comfort growing up, in any of their lives, not that he had that either. So, it wasn’t a surprise that Harry loved it when he called him pet names.

            Harry decided that he would go back to people watching, he figured it would take his lover another five minutes before he found his wallet. He thought about telling Draco that he remembered seeing him place it in his back pocket but thought that it was much more fun to have the blonde panic in his search. Oh yes, being half a Slytherin had its perks.

            There was a little old lady sitting in a walker not too far from Harry, he tilted his head to the side as he watched her watching an older gentleman who was tending to the grass. The man must be a landscaper. He smiled when the older man gave her shy looks.

            “Draco?” Harry asked, not taking his eyes off the endearing older people. “What do you think their story is?”

            “Hmm?” Draco asked as he looked to where Harry was pointing. He took in the odd flirty smiles and shy gazes. “I say that she is a five-time widower looking for another husband.”

            “What??” Harry choked out in surprise. Leave it to Draco to ruin his cute imagination. He felt amusement in the bond and scowled. “I think they are just lonely and never found the right person. Maybe they have been looking for love and just never got it. Perhaps they can find love in their old age.”

            “You are a sap.” Draco said fondly, kissing Harry’s cheek. “I like your theory better. Although, mine is just as likely.” He added as an afterthought.

            Harry rolled his eyes before placing his hand in Draco’s back pocket.

            “What are you doing? If this is your way of saying you want to go back to the hotel room, then by all means let’s g--” Draco stopped talking when he felt something being pulled out of his pocket.

            “Hey! There it is!” He grinned at the sudden appearance of his wallet. “I will never understand why muggles put back pockets in things.” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Wait a minute. You knew it was there the whole time, didn’t you?” He didn’t need to feel the amusement in the bond to know this, he could see the way Harry wouldn’t meet his eyes.

            “You dirty rotten sneak.” Draco couldn’t hide the pride in his voice if he had tried. “Here I was searching all over and couldn’t find it. I thought that maybe I dropped it or even left it behind in the room. I was going to suggest we go back and look.”

            Harry bit his lip a little guiltily. He hadn’t wanted Draco to think that he had lost it.

            At the guilt, Draco rolled his eyes. “I take back all my pride. You can’t be so Slytherin and then ruin it by being guilty.” He tsked softly as he shook his head. “That would be the horrid Gryffindor in you.”

            “You like the Gryffindor in me.” Harry pointed out with a grin as the guilt slipped away.

            Draco scrunched his nose up in thought. “No, that isn’t it.” He argued. “It isn’t necessarily the Gryffindor that I like. It is just you. I love everything about you. If you were a Hufflepuff instead of a Gryffindor, I would love that just as much.” He tried to explain. “I just love you.”

            There was a flash of love before Draco was nearly tackled in a hug. “I. Love. You. Too.” Harry kissed every inch of Draco’s face and relished in the light laughter that followed each kiss.

            “Excuse me.”

            Harry and Draco broke apart at the new voice. They looked down to see a small boy, about four or five. The child had dark black hair that reached his shoulders and large eyes that seemed _way_ to big for his face.

            “Hello.” Draco started kindly before kneeling in the grass, so that he was eye level with the little boy. “What can I do for you?”

            “Master Draco, it is Kreacher.”

            The surprise in the bond was enough to move Harry into a kneeling position too. What the hell was Kreacher doing here and why was he looking like that?

            “Kreacher why are you in a glamour and what are you doing here?” Draco wondered the exact same thing Harry had. He had never seen a house elf in a glamour before, it was distracting him.

            Kreacher’s hands shook nervously. He shouldn’t have come, he was breaking rules by apparating to his Masters’ side without being called. “Mister Malfoy told Kreacher to tell Master Draco that it is urgent that he fire call. He did not know which country you would be in. Mister Malfoy said that an owl would take too long and he needs to talk to you at once.”

            Draco and Harry shared worried looks and an uneasy feeling in the bond. If Lucius was sending Kreacher after them, then it didn’t sound good. Harry was worried that it had something to do with Remus and Teddy.

            “Thank you, Kreacher.” Harry told him with a small smile. “How is Sephtis and Azad?”

            Kreacher scowled. “The snake is fine.” He said with a fake smile that fooled no one. “He is just annoying Kreacher and Kreacher can’t even make him into stew.” He mumbled under his breath.

            Draco grinned widely. So it would seem that the feud between Sephtis and Kreacher is still going strong. “Have patience.” Draco tried reasoning, it was a false reassurance. He doubted any amount of patience would help those two. “We will go back to our hotel and call father. You can go back home.” They waited until Kreacher walked away before they turned around.

            They made their way to some buildings near the attraction and delusioned themselves before apparating right to their room.           

            “What do you think Lucius wants?”

            Draco bit his lip as he dug around his bag for floo powder. “I am not sure. I don’t think it is good though.” He paused to give Harry a worried look. “He wouldn’t interrupt our honeymoon for no reason.”

            As soon as Draco found the powder, he was at the fireplace. “Malfoy Manor.” He waited with baited breath until the face of his father appeared.

            Lucius sighed in relief when his son’s face appeared in the fireplace. He had been worried for hours. “Where is Harry?” He demanded to know.

            Harry kneeled down next to Draco and tried to get his face in there too. “I am right here. Are you okay?”

            Lucius laughed a little shakily. “It is funny you ask me that when I should be the one asking you that.”

            Draco and Harry shared a look as they both felt confusion in the bond. “I am afraid we don’t understand.” Draco finally said. “Has something happened?”

            “I don’t know. How about you tell us.”

            Harry arched his brows at the sound of Severus’s voice. “Is the whole family there?”

            “You bet your small little arse we are.” Fred and George spoke up at once.

            “My arse isn’t small, is it?” Harry turned to Draco who rolled his eyes.

            “Harry love, I think your arse is fine. That is not the point.” He gestured back to the fireplace. “What is going on?”

            “Yes. What is going on?” Remus asked from a chair near the fire. He bounced Teddy in his lap as he looked around. Lucius had firecalled them this morning and said that Harry and Draco might be in trouble. It was a good thing it was the weekend or they wouldn’t have been able to come in such short notice.

            “I second that.” Pansy and Blaise said in unison. They had been given a family special circumstance exception to be able to leave Hogwarts. When Lucius had said that something happened to Harry and Draco, they panicked.

            Harry scrunched up his brows. “Can someone start at the beginning.” He asked, things were going nowhere.

            “Please tell us _why_ you were seen by a hospital in Paris.” Narcissa was barely keeping her emotions in check. After everything with the Flamels, she wanted to make sure her family was safe and sound. "We had to find out from a bill that you were even seen!"

            Everyone in the Manor narrowed their eyes when Harry and Draco adopted sheepish expressions.

            “Fuck.” Harry and Draco uttered at the same time. They hadn’t thought that the family would find out about it so quickly. They had only gone to the hospital last night.

            “Harry. Draco.” Severus began in his no nonsense, answer me now tone of voice.

            Draco rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “We may have run into some _Partales_ yesterday.”

            There was a stunned silence before all hell broke loose.

            “What do you mean you _may_ have?” Severus asked.

            “What were they like?” George wondered.

            “Was there really two of them?” Pansy whispered.

            “Are you alright?” Narcissa bit her lip in worry.

            “How did you get away?” Lucius demanded to know.

            “What kind were they?” Blaise asked fascinated.

            “Did they do anything to you?” Remus tried looking at their faces to see if they were harmed but the damn fire wasn’t showing anything.

            “Where did you find them?” Fred whistled lowly. He couldn’t imagine coming across Sinister Fairies.

            Both boys sighed heavily as everyone spoke at once. This is why they hadn’t mentioned anything to them. They didn’t want everyone to worry.

            “We were in Sicily.”

            Everyone gasped as one.

            “What on earth would possess you to go there?” Lucius asked harshly. Sicily of all places. “It’s not exactly honeymoon worthy.”

            Draco felt a wave of guilt from Harry and he kissed his husband’s cheek. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”

            Harry took a deep breath and looked at the now curious gazes. “I got a letter from Blaise’s mum. She said that her summer home was being remodeled and that we would be welcome to join her in her new home in Sicily.”

            “Mum has a home in Sicily?” Whispered Blaise. His mother hadn’t told him anything of the sort. It wasn’t like they were particularly close but he thought a new home would be something that would have been brought up. He was worried. Nothing good came out of being there. Blaise worried that his mother was into something that she shouldn’t be. Had she chosen to get involved with the politics down there?

            Severus and Lucius shared a confused look. Belinda Zabini was not known for making political statements. Getting a home in Sicily was doing just that. That meant that she had chosen a side.

            Lucius looked to his son. “That doesn’t explain why you went there. You know better.”

            Harry bit his lip. “Well it was my fault. I had set up a portkey and it went off right as Draco told me to drop it. He tried to warn me. I didn’t know that Sicily wasn’t a place that we should go.”

            The twins broke out in identical grins. “You set up an illegal portkey?”

            Harry couldn’t see them but he could hear the pleased surprise in their voice. “That is neither here nor there.” He pointed out with a shake of his head.

            Narcissa shared a long and considering look with her husband. “What happened while you were there?” She asked as she knelt down next to her husband.

            “Her home is under the protection of the Goblin Cosa Nostra.” Draco looked right at his father when he said this.

            Blaise leaned back in shock. His mother actually chose a side. This was hard for him to understand. His entire life his mum had told him how important it was to never pick a side. She always told him that only idiots burned bridges by picking one side. Staying grey kept open all options. He couldn’t help but wonder what made his mother pick a side.

            “Is she alright?” Blaise asked worrying his lip.

            Harry looked to Blaise with a small smile. “Her and her husband are alright.”

            Blaise arched his brow. “So she got remarried?” There was no surprise in his voice. Just curiosity. “I wondered how long she would wait since Richard.”

            “Richard was two husbands ago.” Pansy spoke up. “I thought her last husband was Enrique.”

            Blaise furrowed his brows. “Are you sure? I could have sword Richard was the last one.” He thought back to the few letters he received from his mother and tried to remember which one was which. The only letters she sent him were when she remarried. Which happened to be a lot.

            Pansy and Blaise looked to each other as they both thought back. “Fuck if I know.” They uttered together before looking back to the others.

            “I haven’t received a letter about her new marriage.” Which was odd, Blaise thought. “Did she seem okay?”

            “A bit rude but otherwise okay.” Harry told him honestly.

            Blaise, Pansy and Draco snorted. “Rude is my mother’s only attitude, I am afraid.”

            “How did you come across _Partales_?” Severus demanded to know. He always hated how easily distracted teenagers could be.

            Draco ignored Severus’s tone and looked to Blaise. “Your mother’s new husband is a part of the Cosa Nostra.” He heard a few gasps and nodded sagely. “We saw the insignia on his skin.”

            Blaise leaned into Fred as he tried processing this. He wanted to know what the hell is mother was playing at. He would have to send her an owl later and figure this all out.

            “The man insulted Harry and I may have implied that I would be doing business with the Dwarves if this was how a representation of the Goblin Cosa Nostra was going to talk to my husband.” Draco heard a couple snorts and he grinned despite the situation.

            “When we left their property, we were taken by the opposition.”

            Remus felt a little dread at the statement. He couldn’t imagine how scary that would have been. They were so young to have to go through so much.

            “They asked me to break into Gringotts.” Harry grinned at the stunned expression on Lucius’s face.

            “Tell me you didn’t.” Remus begged. “Tell me you didn’t break into Gringotts… again.”

            “Why is it that everyone seems to forget that I didn’t do it alone?” Harry was pretty sure that he would be saying this for the rest of his life.

            “No, I didn’t break into Gringotts.” Harry sighed heavily. “I told them no.”

            Draco snorted loudly. “No. He went off on the third from the top.”

            Narcissa gasped. “What?” She couldn’t believe they had even met someone that was third from the top. When she was younger, in her early twenties, she had met a dwarf that was 15th from the top in Venice. It hadn’t been the most pleasant experience but it had been interesting.

            “When you say he went off…” Lucius trailed off.

            “I mean he went off on the guy. Told him it was wrong of them to kidnap us, told them they were pretty much crazy for even suggesting that he would break into Gringotts. If it hadn’t been the Cosa Nostra in front of us, I would have cheered him on.” Draco admitted.

            Severus and Lucius sighed heavily. Telling off the Cosa Nostra, that would be a foolish thing that Harry would do. Gryffindors.

            “I imagine that they didn’t take that very well.” Severus quipped.

            Harry winced slightly. “No. They didn’t. That is when the _Partales_ came to play.”

            Draco nodded along. “They were body manipulators.”

            Remus sucked in a sharp breath.

            “What kind of body manipulator?” Pansy asked, biting her lip. Were they talking blood manipulators, or even respiratory manipulating?

            “One manipulated the toxins inside the body while the other one could take things out of the body, like vitamins and oxygen.” Draco explained. He wanted to skim over the details so that no one became too concerned.

            Lucius narrowed his eyes. He could read between the lines. Things must have been bad. “How did you both make it out of there?”

            Harry and Draco shared a look. “We don’t know.” Harry admitted, he saw the disbelieving looks being shared around the room. “It was pretty grim. Our breath was running out, we had one bubble charm between us.” He ignored the startled looks. “There wasn’t much more that we could do. I-I thought it was the end.” Harry admitted before he buried his face in Draco’s neck.

            Draco pulled Harry into his lap as he sat fully on the floor. He ran a hand up and down Harry’s sides. “I’ve got you.” He whispered as he placed a kiss on the messy hair. Draco looked up into worried eyes. “Something saved us. I don’t know what it is but we were saved by someone. They didn’t show themselves. We only got a cryptic message saying, ‘Until next time’.”  

            There was a silence that followed Draco’s explanation. Everyone was lost to their own worried thoughts.

            “Do you have any thoughts on what it could be?” Remus asked worriedly. He was grateful that something or someone had saved them but he was suspicious at the same time. Why did their rescuer have to remain a secret? Why not come out and say who they were? This didn’t sit well with him.

            Draco wrinkled his forehead in thought. “There isn’t much to go off of to be honest.” There was several things that their mystery hero could be and that was saying it wasn’t some kind of illusion brought upon by a spell.

            “What did the hospital do?” Severus wondered with narrowed eyes. “Did they give you any potions?”

            Draco winced as he shifted his eyes towards the floor. “Yes, I checked them over before we took them.” He knew that Severus wouldn’t be happy about them taking potions he didn’t make himself.

            Severus shook his head. “Draco, taking potions you don’t make yourself is never a smart plan.” Honestly, he thought he had trained them better than this. It was common sense when it came to survival.

            “I know that.” Draco bitterly spat out. This wasn’t his first potion. “I was a bloody potions master in my last life.” He knew he was taking his frustrations out on Severus but he couldn’t help it. The situation had been stressful enough, he didn’t need to be told that he made a mistake. “I needed a professional opinion and I checked the potions twice before we took them. Hell, I took them first, just in case something was wrong with them.” If they had been messed with, it would have hit him and not Harry.

            “What?” Harry asked, cutting off any scathing reply Severus could have come up with. He lifted his head to search startlingly beautiful grey eyes. “Draco, when are you going to get it through your head that we are in this together?” He sighed heavily. “We should have taken them at the same time. We are equals in this marriage.” He reminded him with a frown. “I need to know that you won’t make decisions like that without me.”

            Draco searched the bond to understand just what it was that Harry was feeling. He didn’t feel anger just frustration and a lot sadness. He hated knowing that he was the cause of any amount of sad emotions. He was having a hard time understanding why it was a big deal. Draco just wanted to protect Harry from the whole world if he had to.

            By the expression on his husband’s face, Harry knew that he was getting nowhere. “Let me ask you this.” Harry began. “What if I suspected that our waitress poisoned our food? What if instead of telling you of my suspicions, I ate the food before you could? That way if something was wrong with the food, it would only affect me.”

            Draco tightened his hold on Harry as he thought over the example. He didn’t like it. He would want to be notified before Harry would just eat the food. Surely, there would be other options than just eating potentially deadly meals. Suddenly, he understood. The fight went out of him immediately. He tilted Harry’s chin up so that he could look into those green eyes he loved so much. “I’m sorry.”

            The apology combined with the regretful emotions in the bond let Harry know that Draco understood. He nuzzled Draco’s jaw before placing kisses against the smooth skin. “It’s okay, my love.”

            Draco didn’t think so but he would make it up to Harry anyways. He tilted his head to the side, indicating that Harry could continue kissing him. He felt a smile in the side of his neck, causing his own smile to blossom. Draco jolted when Harry kissed over a pulse point. He placed his hand on the back of Harry’s head, keeping his lover in place. “ _Oh_.” Draco breathed out.

            Several loud coughs brought them back to reality.

            “Now that you have both settled a lover’s dispute.” Severus’s sarcastic voice popped the bubbling lust that had started to settle. “Are you both alright?”

            Harry looked to Draco and smiled softly. “Yeah, we are alright.” He pressed one last kiss to Draco’s neck before he looked back to the fire. “What about you guys? How are you all? How is Hogwarts? The board? The Manor? Do you miss us?”

            Lucius chuckled at all of the fast-paced questions. “Yes, we miss you.” He ignored the quartet’s, ‘Not really’ reply, everyone knew how despondent the quartet had been without Harry and Draco.  

            “The Board of Governors is just as boring as it ever was.” Lucius wasn’t exactly lying. The School Board of Governors had always been tedious, which hadn’t changed. Only… with everything going on at Hogwarts, things had been tense during the meetings. He was the only one who was voicing an opinion on the matters of the Slytherins. He was having a hard time getting anyone else to recognize the ongoing problems stemming inside the school. He needed teachers to admit what was going on.  

            “The Manor is the same as usual.” Narcissa added when it seemed like Draco might have some questions. She wasn’t a big supporter of keeping things form her son but everyone else had already backed the plan. Even she had to agree that their honeymoon deserved to be uninterrupted.

            “What about Hogwarts? How is school?” Harry asked. He was wondering what it was like now that the war is over. He was curious to go back but not enough to end their honeymoon. He adored every moment he got to spend with Draco that was just with the two of them.

            Everyone in the Manor looked around helplessly. No one knew what to say. They didn’t want to flat out lie but they also didn’t want to tell them what was happening. “School is…” Pansy trailed off uncertainly.

            “School.” Blaise finished for her firmly.

            Draco arched a brow at the vague statement. There was something more to it than that but he wasn’t sure what. He looked to Harry and noticed that his soulmate had furrowed brows.

            “School is school?” Harry asked, not sure what that even meant. “Does that mean it is the same as it always has been?”

            Remus bit his lip as he shared a ‘what do we do?’ look with Severus. Teddy, who had been looking around the room contently, must have picked up on Remus’s tension as he let out a sharp cry.

            Harry smiled softly at the sound of Teddy. He wished he could hold his godson, he was missing the sweet baby.

            “I am going to take care of Teddy.” Remus jumped on his golden ticket out of the room. “Severus and I need to get back to the castle anyways.”       

            Pansy and Blaise sprang up. “They are our chaperones, so we have to go as well.” Which was true. The only reason they had been granted a way out of the castle was for them. They had previously been denied due to their horrible ‘student record’ for the year.

            Fred and George stood up as well. “If they are leaving, then we must get back to the shop.” The six of them didn’t even wait for a goodbye, they just booked it out of the room.

            Harry looked startled at the sudden departure. He looked to Draco and then back to the expressionless Lucius in the fire. “Is it just us or was that odd?”

            Lucius was proud of his ability to show nothing on his face. “It is just you.” He almost snorted at their incredulous expressions. “I hate to follow suit but we must depart as well.”

            Draco dropped his mouth open in surprise. What the hell was going on? Everyone was acting odd and he didn’t like it one bit.

            Once goodbyes were said and the floo was shut down, Harry turned to Draco. They both were of the same opinion that something wasn’t right.

            “They are hiding something from us.” It was a statement not a question.

            “Oh yes.” Draco agreed. “We will get to the bottom of this.”

            Harry watched Draco summon a piece of paper and a quill curiously. He would ask what the blonde was doing but he knew that Draco would tell him in his own time. He leaned against the wall, still on the floor and watched the elegant way his lover wrote.

            “Kreacher.” Draco summoned. He could feel Harry’s curious gaze on him and moved till he was sitting in front of his husband. He smiled when Harry’s arms came around his waist and the weight of a head was on his shoulder.

            The light flickering in the distance made the name the letter was addressed to, stand out.

            _Theodore Nott_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, another chapter where not much happened. I chose to write out the recap instead of just summarizing it because I felt like this type of situation would need to be talked about. Also, I liked adding in the other characters! It was about time my lovely side characters made an appearance. 
> 
> I sincerely apologize that there was hardly a single thing to Paris. I chose Paris because I previously mentioned that the hospital was in France. No matter which city I had chosen for the city to house the hospital, there would have been next to nothing of the actual city. Paris was just the unlucky one to house the hospital. They did more than just explore the Eiffel Tower, but that was all I was able to put in the actual story. 
> 
> I don't have much to say on the smut or the recap. That was all pretty explanatory. 
> 
> Does this count as a cliffhanger? I do not know, let me know what you think. 
> 
> Okay. Theodore Nott. I am introducing another character. I can't exactly say he is new since he was a part of the books, but he is new to my story. I would love to hear what you think Theodore will add to the mix. Any thoughts on this or what you think will happen?
> 
> Let me know. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	9. Unity Where There is None and Irony at its Finest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in a writing mood, which is great for you guys. :) I would have posted this yesterday but I was in some back pain. During the move I pinched a nerve and it sucks ass. 
> 
> The only thing that I would like to say is this is a side character chapter. It is important to my story. Despite there being no Harry and Draco, I do hope you like it.

           Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, lungs were at full capacity and his muscles were starting to strain the longer he ran. If this kept up much longer, he would run out of momentum. As it was, it was getting harder and harder to keep up the fast-paced movement. This shouldn’t be his life but unfortunately it was quickly becoming the predictable standard of his existence. He could hear the pounding footsteps of his attackers in the distance. Typically, a few people wouldn’t be a problem but this time there were far more than he could handle. The lessons his father taught him were in the back of his mind but they wouldn’t be of any use in a situation like this.

            A quick slash of his wand levitated a broken piece of rubble on the floor before slamming it back down into a side hallway. Hopefully they would take the bait and give him more time to get to safety.

            Victory was singing throughout his body when he saw the end of his troubles in the form of a door that represented his salvation. Just a little further and he would be fine. Just a little further and his attackers would be out of luck. Just a little further and he could pant heavily behind his own safety of his painstakingly crafted oasis. He could do this. The mental pep talk was the only thing keeping him going.  

            Perhaps he had been too focused on his getaway to pay attention completely, or maybe his pursuer was just that good. A shadow registered in the corner of his eye too quickly to do anything other than side step the oncoming attack. The hex that would have hit his face full on missed by inches, hitting a broken bust that was on display, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. He barely had time to realize that this was just another thing that would be blamed on him before he was dodging more attacks.

            “Thought you could outsmart me, didn’t you Nott?”

            Theodore cursed his bad luck. He seemed to have fooled everyone but Goldstein. Not for the first time, he began questioning his sanity for returning to Hogwarts. He glanced up the hallway to see the entrance to the common room. All he needed was just a few feet, a few measly feet and he would have been safe. Of all the places to be caught, it had to be right here. It was cruel to have safety mocking him like this. Theodore would have rather been caught far away from here, than to have it dangled in front of him like some toy. What karma did he possess for this to become his life?

            “Well you were always the dumb one, Goldstein.” Theo knew that taunting the Ravenclaw wasn’t in his best interest but things were out of his hands. He wracked his brain trying to come up with a solution. He knew that he didn’t have a lot of time. Goldstein’s gang of pricks would be here soon, once they realized he had given them the slip. He could handle some of them but not all at once.

            A slashing hex whizzed by, nearly hitting his side. Theo threw himself behind a statue before flinging out a stunning hex. He knew that his spell wouldn’t hit his target but he hoped that it would make the other boy dodge too. The numbers were stacked against him. He couldn’t use _nearly_ as many spells as the Ravenclaw due to their wands being routinely checked. He would bemoan the injustice of not being able to properly protect himself later in the privacy of his own bed. Right now though, he had to keep his wits about him or else he would be spending the night in the infirmary. Again.

            Theo spared a moment to glance at his salvation one more time before he straightened up and held his breath as he sent a bombarda straight at the knight’s armor Goldstein was standing behind. He heard the muffled yell of the other boy and the explosion of the armor in the distance as he booked it straight for the door.

            Time slows down when your heart rate increases and your fight or flight instincts kick in. It was almost comical, really, the way he looked over his shoulder and noticed the spells being shot his way. Theo ducked but luck wasn’t on his side. One of the curses stuck and slammed him into the very door he was hoping to enter. He rolled over on intuition, knowing that Goldstein wasn’t done with him. A flash of burning yellow singed into the door in the spot that his head had just been resting.

            If there was ever a time to forget the password, this wouldn’t be it. Unfortunately for Theo, that is what fate had in store for him. One might think that the brain goes into overdrive when adrenaline is this high but that was not the case this time. It would appear that all brain function evaporated the moment he realized that he was in danger. Anything that wasn’t a spell, counter curse or a means of hiding seemed to just poof into nonexistence. He began mentally cursing the school, the teachers, the blasted students and even his own pathetic being for getting into a crisis such as this.  

            Try as he might, he just couldn’t think of the blasted password to open the door. “Come on.” He uttered to the door and to himself. This wasn’t how he had foreseen this night going. This wasn’t how he had anticipated things to go. Intuition was strong tonight, he crouched with just inches to spare as another round of spells were shot his way.

            He quickly pulled up a shield, it wouldn’t hold Goldstein out for long. Nor would it hold up to any particularly vicious spells.

            “What a coward you are.” Theo ignored the taunt. He didn’t care whether protecting oneself from an attack perceived him as a coward. He didn’t care what the thoughts of a pathetic bully such as Anthony Goldstein uttered.

            “Just like your father.”

            Theodore froze as the sentence washed over him. He knew the other boy was just saying it to get under his skin. He could let this go and continue to find a way in the room or he could turn around and fight his way out. Fighting had always been second nature to him. Something his father had instilled in him early on as a little boy. Rational thought was barely holding onto the edges of his mind. If he turned around and chose to fight, eventually the fight would cease being one on one and he would quickly be overrun by Goldstein’s friends.

            Duels are a ritual that has been around since the beginning of time. They are something that is made to be taken seriously, there are certain rules that have to be followed and there is an order to how things go. People like Goldstein and his merry band of idiots ruin the time-honored succession of a duel. They don’t play by etiquette and they use force instead of wit in the end. Ironic considering which house they belong to. The bully way of ganging up on someone is the true cowardice. One on one is _always_ how a duel should be handled, if one is going to do it properly. The traditions of their world are quickly being overrun by new age mentality and the mudblood ideals.

            To be fair, he couldn’t blame mudbloods for the way the school is turning out or even the way that Goldstein holds himself. Revenge would be the downfall of society, so it would seem. They believe in an eye for an eye. ‘Your people started the war so therefore I will take out the death of the fallen ones out on you’.

         To most, what happens inside Hogwarts is just children being children. It is just phases and things that will eventually be outgrown. Only problem is prejudice isn’t something can be outgrown. It isn’t something that is taught. It is something that is learned. It is a mentality that will follow you into adolescence and adulthood. Sure, right now it may not seem like a big deal but when these children leave Hogwarts and venture out into the world, their ideals and behavior are going to spread like a cancerous cell or a debilitating curse. They will take the hatred that is spewing inside of them and make it grow. It will be taught to their children and their children’s children. Soon, society will be warped and the very thing that they hated will be looking themselves in the mirror. Ironic, really.

            “Leave my father out of this.” Theodore spat, without turning around. There was a distant memory of Pansy telling him the password earlier before she left. It wasn’t their typical type of password, which is why he was having such a hard time remembering it.

            “Oh, I would like to.” The taunting tone quipped behind his shield. Theo tried to tune him out but his vacant mind was making it hard to focus on anything else. “But your father didn’t stay out of the war, so why should I make it easy on his son?”

            Theodore clenched his fists and spun around. His shield prevented spells from leaving just as much as it protected against them coming in. “He is in Azkaban! What more do you want? I wasn’t involved in the war. I wasn’t a deatheater.”

            “No but he was, wasn’t he? Daddy dearest was a rotten snake that slithered up to You Know Who. You thought you were on the winning side, you thought you were going to crush us and we would have to bow down to you.” There was a pause where Theo took in the almost manic glint to the other boy’s eyes. “Such a shame that didn’t happen. Now look at you. The bottom of the food chain. You Slytherins used to think you owned this place. Used to think that you could do no wrong. Pity you are nothing but the dirt on our shoes now.”

            Theodore shook his head. “Do you hear yourself? Yes, my father was a bloody deatheater. Do you think I am proud of this? Do you think I covet the knowledge in my room and dream of a world where The Dark Lord had won?” He stared incredulously at the Ravenclaw. “Because if you do, then you are barking. I am not my father. He may have been a deatheater but I wasn’t. He may have joined a crazy man but I didn’t. He may have killed people but I didn’t. The sins of the father do not reflect to the son. You cannot punish me for the things that I have not done.”

            “I will do as I see fit.”

            Theodore opened his mouth to retort but the sound of running feet against the dungeon floor made his teeth clang against one another in the force of his panic as he wrenched his mouth shut. His weak shield wouldn’t hold up to the rest of Goldstein’s people.

            “The school is divided by anger and grief.” Theo began as he locked his eyes onto the other boy. “Loss isn’t something that is singular and only done to light. Loss is something that anyone can understand. It is a concept that is unfortunately perceived by many. I am no stranger to loss myself. In dark times people should come together as a whole. Not point fingers and grasp at fleeting ghosts. You think you are avenging the deaths of the fallen by going after innocent children? You are mistaken. Instead of blaming others and attacking where there shouldn’t be issues, we should all come together.” He cursed the Hufflepuff way his speech was turning out.

            “Unity.” There was a click of the door at the same time the other members of Goldstein’s group rounded the corner. Theo took a step back as the door gave way and breathed a sigh of relief when the magic of the common room washed over his body. “That is something that Hogwarts needs if we are going to make it into the next generation.”

            An angry cry was the last thing he heard as the door shut, cutting off any replies that the Ravenclaw might have said.

            “Daphne!” Theo yelled as he pushed a small button on the wall near the entrance. The button would suspend the current password, barring anyone from entering until a prefect or their leader could name a new one. He was positive that Goldstein had heard the password, so there was no taking chances. He quickly flipped open a painting of a sleeping Salazar Slytherin to press another button.

            There was a sounding echo of an alarm as he put the painting back where it belonged.  

            The pounding of many feet thundering down the stairs met his ears as he turned around. It was a sad day for the Slytherin house when it only took one press of the meeting button to get all the occupants in the common room.

            Daphne, an eighth year pushed her way past a group of second years. Her long blonde hair flowing freely and her pale blue eyes lit with curiosity.

            “What’s going on Theo?” She asked in an authoritative voice that had everyone standing at attention.

            “The password has to be changed.” There were many groans that could be heard all around. It wasn’t a surprise. The password changed at least twice a day lately.

            “Why?” Daphne demanded, gesturing for Theo to take his place in line of succession. Without Draco, Pansy or Blaise here, Theo was next in command.

            Theo looked around quickly spotting the absence of Pansy and Blaise. He wondered where they went since he hadn’t seen them during his run of the castle. He hated being next in command. He stepped in front of Millicent who smiled slightly at him. Everyone was in a line standing against the wall, looking to Daphne, who was their commanding leader right underneath Snape.

            “On my way back from detention, I was ambushed by Goldstein.”

            There were several sucked in breaths at his statement. Goldstein and Boot were some of their worst offenders.

            “Why were you alone?”

            Theo winced slightly as he looked away from Daphne. That was the major question, wasn’t it? He shouldn’t have been alone. This year the cardinal rule was to never walk without backup.

            “I thought I could handle it.” He admitted quietly, looking down at his feet.

            “Damnit Theo.” Daphne cursed. “I can’t have you thinking like that. With Draco gone, it puts a lot of strain on my shoulders. Snape has already questioned my leadership.”

            Theo thought that was a little unfair. It wasn’t her fault that the whole school had suddenly lost its mind. Things would be so much better if Draco was here. The blonde boy had been their leader since the beginning of fourth year. “I’m sorry. I honestly thought that I would be alright. I won’t do it again.”

            Daphne sighed heavily. “You are right, this won’t happen again. I am assigning you to extra protection duty for the remainder of the semester.”

            As far as punishments go, this one was fairly light. A lot better than what Draco would have assigned him, that is for sure. Protection duty was making sure the younger Slytherins got to their classes safely. It was something he would have done regardless of being ordered to.

            “I am also letting you be the one to explain to Snape why the password had to be changed.”

            Ah, that was where the real punishment kicked in. Theo winced as he tried thinking of ways to make that conversation go smoothly. He would no doubt be forced into tutoring sessions. That was the preferred punishment of their head of house.

            “Understood.” Theo retorted with barely concealed defeat.

            “As for a new password.” Daphne began with a shake of her head. “I am open to ideas.” There was a noise of several whispered conversations as she waited patiently for her residents to come to a decision.

            “Captains apprise your prefects of your underling’s suggestions and they can brief me.” She demanded as she crossed her hands behind her back.

            The hierarchy wasn’t too complicated. First years through sixth years had a captain that they were assigned. Each captain had to answer to the two prefects despite the age of the prefect. The prefects then answered to the leader, the leader only had to listen to the head of house. Theo was a captain, he turned around to the third years he was in charge of. He made sure to get a few different options before he turned to Astoria to retell her what his third years told him. She was one of the seventh-year prefects. The headmaster decided that the eighth-year students wouldn’t be allowed to partake in being on the Quidditch teams or prefect duties. The eighth-year students technically didn’t have a set of guidelines and were here for only the one year before things went back to normal.

            Daphne listened to her two prefects before narrowing her eyes in thought. “Okay, I have made a decision. The new password will be ‘Protect and Defend’.”

            Theo heard a first-year whisper in delight at their suggestion being chosen, causing him to smile.  

            “Captains, I want you to check the status of your underlings’ homework. Report it to the prefects tonight before curfew and make sure any extra duties have been taken care of.” She looked to Millicent who everyone knew had been assigned kitchen duty for failing to protect one of her first years. Millicent had been late from charms and missed guiding her charges to their class, leaving them open for an attack.

            “I hate cooking with the house elves.” Millicent mumbled low enough that only Theo heard. He nodded in understanding. The only time he had kitchen duty had been back when he was a second year. House elves by nature don’t know what to do when presented with help. They take it as a personal insult and nearly have a malfunction when they see you pitching in.

            “This meeting has now come to a close. Slytherins, the guideline if you will.” She trailed off expectantly.

            _“All Slytherins are your brethren. Protect one to protect them all. We are a united front against all those who oppose us.”_ Everyone said as one.  

            “Dismissed.” Daphne was the first one out of the room, it was to be expected.

            Theodore looked to his third years. He could see that they were all holding in something. “Alright. Let me hear it.”

            “How could you go alone?”

            “Are you alright?”

            “What happened?”

            “Did you curse Goldstein’s balls off?”

            “Snape will be disappointed.”

            Theo laughed as he pulled his charges to the nearest free table. He wasn’t sure which response he was to answer to first.

            “First of all, get out your homework.” He heard the collective groan and he smiled for what seemed like the first time all day. He watched his five third years grumble in amusement. Only two girls and three boys came back for the Slytherin third years. It was actually one of the largest years in Slytherin. Especially compared to the two first years and only three fourth years.

            He pulled the pile of homework to him and started looking it over. “It was stupid of me to go alone.”

            “I’ll say.” Theo swatted the back of the nearest boy playfully.

            “That is enough out of you Warrick.” He teased gently. “But it is a mistake I won’t be making again.” He shivered internally. He had almost been caught. The trip to the infirmary would have been quite painful, that much he knew.

            “Are you sure you are alright?” The smallest girl spoke up. Theo smiled softly as he looked to his charges. Being a captain of the third years was his only happiness since he has been back. These students look up to him and are genuinely his friends. If anyone had told him last year that he would be friends with a bunch of thirteen-year old’s, well he might have thought they were taking the mickey out of him.

            “Yeah Rachel, I am alright.” He promised. “They didn’t actually manage to do me any harm.”

            “That’s because you are the best captain there is.” The other third year girl piped up vehemently.

            “As flattering as your statement is Viola, it was still a mistake to go alone. Do not follow my example.” It was a command almost as much as he was begging them. It was dangerous for the younger students to roam the castle alone.

            “We are young, not suicidal.” The remaining two boys piped up at the same time. Theo rolled his eyes. “One would think you are siblings, the way you two behave.” Roy Bhagat and Ray Richmond were best friends who looked eerily alike but had no actual relations whatsoever.

            “Thank you.” They said in unison.

            “Alright, alright.” Theo huffed. “Let’s get back to your homework.” He quickly looked over their assignments to make sure that it was done. They weren’t to correct it or to point out any mistakes, that was not in their duties. The job of the captain was just to make sure that their charges were completing the assigned work.

            “Vi, your work seems fine.” He looked through her astronomy and cringed at some of the wrong answers. “Do me a favor and check this over.” That was the only way he was allowed to hint that there was something wrong with the work.

            "Rachel your charms is excellent." Not that it was a surprise. The girl had a brain on her.

            “Ray stop letting Roy copy off you.” Theo read over the potions essay and marveled at how well it was done. Ray would make quite the potions master one day.

            “How do you know it isn’t the other way around?” Roy demanded indignantly.

            “Because Ray actually knows how to spell.” The other students snorted at the sheepish expression Roy was now sporting. “And I know you.” Theo leveled a hard look at the boy until Roy promised to try harder to do his own work.

            “Warrick your Defense Against the Dark Arts needs some work.” That was nicest way Theo could say that it was pure shite. “What is going on with this? Are you not understanding it?” The assignment was on boggarts but Theo was having a hard time telling that. If it wasn’t for the other student’s papers that he read first, he would have thought the assignment was on nonsense, considering that was what this paper was.

            An uncomfortable silence caused the older Slytherin to tear his gaze away from the essay to see everyone shifting their gazes away. “Warrick?” He asked gently when the normally talkative teen wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Hey, what’s going on? Is this something I should know about?”

            He watched Warrick sigh heavily before picking at the table with his fingers. “Professor Williams has _suggested_ that I need to spend the week in the library studying instead of learning from her.”

            Theo furrowed his brows. “Why would she suggest that? Is it a punishment for acting out?” He knew that Warrick could be a little much at times but he was usually well behaved in lessons.

            “No.” Warrick glared defiantly at Theodore. “My mother is a gratis lawyer for a lot of the families of deatheaters.”

            Theo sat back with raised brows. “She works for no money?” He was a little surprised at that. Slytherins rarely do anything for free.

            A smile broke out on the younger Slytherin’s face. “Yes.” It was obvious to Theo that Warrick was quite proud of his mum. “A nonprofit organization was set up for families that have been touched by the war. Which included any legal issues. A lot of lawyers won’t touch any cases of the families that can be linked to a deatheater.”

            Theo knew that much. He himself was having a hard time getting control of his father’s assets. The Ministry is making it difficult to claim his inheritance. With his mother six feet under the ground, he really needed his inheritance. He was barely scraping by without it.

            “She just settled an estate claim by the mother of the Carrows.”

            A low whistle escaped Theo’s mouth before he realized that he was the one who did it.

            Warrick nodded in understanding. “It was a huge mess.” He admitted reluctantly. “My mum has been working tirelessly for Miss Carrow. She didn’t have a hand in her children’s actions. She is a little old lady who stays in an advanced ward of the Geriatric section of St. Mungos. The Ministry wanted to seize all assets of the vault and all properties related to the surname. Miss Carrow _needs_ the money so that she can continue to receive proper medical care. It was her money to begin with. So my mum has been her lawyer.” There was another proud smile on his face.

            “Yesterday was the trial.”

            Again, this much Theo knew. It was the headline all over the _Daily Prophet_ this morning. He hadn’t known that Warrick’s mother was the lawyer that won the case.

            “She did it.” Warrick grinned. “I knew she could but it was nice seeing her hard work pay off.” The smile vanished just as quickly as it had come. “It would seem that Professor Williams has some friends that were victims of Alecto and Amycus and felt like their mother shouldn’t have won.”

            Theodore slammed his hand on the table, startling not only his students but others in the common room as well.

            “That isn’t your mother’s fault nor is it yours. If Professor Williams is having an issue with your mother than she needs to follow professional protocol and leave you out of it.” He was so bloody tired of the head games and the bullshit going on around here.

            He looked up to see awe written on his charges’ faces. He shook his head at the sad fact that sticking up for them was something seen as special. What was the world coming to? “Alright, this is how this is going to go.” He smirked internally when they all sat up straighter.

            “I will speak to Professor Snape about Professor Williams.” He knew that there might be nothing that Snape could do but it was better than nothing. Theo looked to the other four students. “Your homework is done and I have signed off on it. You are dismissed.”

            He waited till they said their goodbyes before turning to Warrick. “Get out your books, I will tutor you tonight and teach you all I know about Boggarts and the next couple of chapters she will be teaching this week.” The couple hours he had designated for his own homework was quickly kissed goodbye.

            “But what about your homework? Don’t you have some?”

            “No.” Theo lied quickly. “I did mine earlier in detention.” He would have to work all day tomorrow to ensure that he got most of it done. Thank goodness tomorrow was Sunday. “I have nothing but free time to give you.” The shy smile he received in return was worth the unfinished homework burning in the back of his mind. Who needed good grades, anyways?

            The last few hours before curfew was spent teaching Warrick and explaining theories and concepts that weren’t in the books assigned by the Professor. Theodore was grateful that Warrick was a quick learner or he would’ve had to spend more time later in the week tutoring him.

            By the time he made it to his bed, he could barely keep his eyes open. He was supposed to share a room with another person but with so few people coming back, he had the room to himself. Being an eighth year wasn’t so bad.

            He plonked on the bed forcefully. A crinkling of paper made him pause in the wonderful abyss that his sleepy mind wanted to go in to slumber. He rolled to the side and noticed that he had laid on top of a letter. He tried to think if he had any mail that was to go out but the only letters he had to send were to his lawyer and that was already done earlier in the day.

            With his curiosity piqued, Theo slashed his wand in the air to run diagnostic spells. Couldn’t be too careful nowadays. When nothing came back out of the ordinary, he performed a simple tracing spell. The spell was useless in regard to trying to figure out who sent it but if the sender was a friend or former Slytherin, it would release a small emissions that would help him in that means.

            A small puff of green weaved in a figure eight let him know that the letter was from Draco.

            Several emotions flashed through him at once. Worry, he was worried something was wrong. Sad, he was sad that he hadn’t been informed of the wedding. Bitter, he was bitter about being the forgotten friend. Anger, he was angry that he wasn’t the one who was chosen. Heartbroken, he was heartbroken that his desires were never returned. Jealous, he was jealous that Potter got what he had always wanted.

            The first time Theo had ever laid eyes on Draco Malfoy had been at a Ministry function his father dragged him to. He had been five years old when he swore that Draco was an angel in his beauty. The blonde boy had been the center of attention without even trying. Draco had always been an enigma. Kind but mean when he had to be. Regal but knew when to let his hair done. Elegant even in his anger. Calm when others would be frustrated. Silent when some couldn’t hold a temper. There was something about Draco that drew his attention. Something that Theo could never explain. Even at a young age he knew that he wanted Draco. Wanted to be with him.

            It was a nice dream while it had lasted. Half way through his first year at Hogwarts he realized that he would never get that. Draco had always been about Potter. Despite it being negative, Potter was the only one who get under Draco’s skin. He was the only one who held the blonde boy’s attention. It sucked to realize that he didn’t hold a candle to whatever it was that Draco saw in Potter.

            With a heavy heart and a crushed spirit, Theo buried his wants and desires behind smiles and friendly banters. He did the only thing he could to stay in Draco’s life, and that was to be a friend. Draco would never see him as anything but a friend and it took many years to come to grips with that. He had mourned the loss of what could have been but moved on with his life. Or at least he tried to.

            When the articles came out about Draco’s wedding to Potter, everyone was in denial. No one could believe that it was true. Most people still didn’t believe it. The popular belief was that the Quibbler was lying. While some people were completely flabbergasted, Theo was resigned. He wasn’t surprised in the least. He knew the day where Draco would be completely lost to him would eventually come to pass. He had known since he was eleven years old that it would always be Potter who would win the heart of the beautiful boy.

            Seeing a letter addressed to him from Draco was hard. He had long ago gotten over his one-sided emotions. Long ago buried the hopes of being more than a friend. Long ago wished anything of the other boy. Theo closed his eyes, briefly hoping to gain strength from somewhere inside of him.

            With his pretend strength in mind, Theodore opened the letter.

           

_Dear Theo,_

_I hope this letter finds you doing well. I know that I have been in neglect of my duties as your friend. I wish that I could have spent time with you during the summer. Things with my trial and your own issues with your father’s trial prevented that. I should have sent you a letter, for that I apologize._

_I find myself missing your silent personality compared to Pansy and Blaise’s outgoing attitude. I miss them as well but wouldn’t change my honeymoon for the world. Honeymoon. Can you believe it? I am married. Sometimes I have a hard time believing it myself. I know that this might be a shock and I promise I will explain it all to you in person but know that I am happy. Harry is everything that I wish I could be. He makes me proud to be who I am and loves my faults more than my strengths. That is something I will always struggle to comprehend. He loves me in ways I never thought were possible._

_Sorry. I do not mean to go off in tangent with things that aren’t related to the main point of this letter. I tend to get distracted when it comes to Harry._

_First, let me ask how you are. Are you doing alright with your father gone? I know how much you wished things could be different. Did you get to speak with him before they took him away? I hope you are finding peace in his actions now that you are free of the burdens he wanted for you._

_How is Hogwarts? This is why I am sending this letter. Some things have come to my attention as rather odd. I need to stress to you the importance of secrecy. Do not speak of this letter to anyone. Including Pansy and Blaise. They mean well but they would hide things if they felt like I shouldn’t know. Regardless of their well wishes, I would like the truth. So please, tell me what is happening. I know something just isn’t quite right. I do not know if it is Hogwarts itself or perhaps a teacher. Whatever it is, I would like to know._

_If you choose to follow the path of keeping me in the dark, I will respect your decision and would still love a reply back from my friend. I miss you Theo._

_Don’t be a stranger when I come back. I can’t wait to see all of you._

_Love,_

_Draco._

_P.S. Keep a count of how many Gryffindors you hex, I want to catch up to you when I get back. I need something to look forward to and I always did love a challenge._

            Well, that hurt more than he thought it would. Knowing how happy Potter made Draco was hard to swallow. The happiness in the letter was palpable. He could just picture the happy smile that lit Draco’s face. Which wasn’t something that was easy to accomplish. If Potter was the cause of this happiness then that meant that he owed the Gryffindor his gratitude. As long as Draco is happy, it didn’t matter if his heart was breaking again. It didn’t matter if he would have to mourn the ‘could have been’ and ‘what ifs’ all over again.

            Theodore ignored the wetness in his eyes as he pulled out a piece of parchment. In the end what did it matter? Draco had chosen who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and he would have to accept that choice, even if it shattered his already bruised heart.

            He ignored the shaky breath that rattled his lungs. He answered Draco’s letter to the best of his ability. He outlined exactly what was going on and lied through his teeth on how he was doing. Draco didn’t need to know that he was barely keeping it together. The other Slytherin didn’t need to know that Draco’s happiness was his emotional undoing. Draco didn’t need to know that he would give anything to be the one on the honeymoon with him. In the end, what did it matter anyways?

            Theo watched his owl take off out the window with a heavy heart. The sleep that had previously been itching to take over his overworked mind was gone. A broken heart wasn’t something that could be easily overlooked. He wished there was a spell or potion that could help. He wished he could get over it, wished this didn’t bother him. Wished he could find someone else and get passed this one-sided pining.

            Sleep eluded him in the end. He watched the rising sun in the distance and ticked off the minutes until he could get up and do his mounting pile of homework. Perhaps his third years would be up, at least they wanted him. He could pretend for a little bit that he mattered. Ignorance really was bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my heart kind of went through the ringer on this one. I started out just wanting to show you guys some insight into Theodore and then... feelings got in the way. I am not sure why exactly I went this route with him but I am happy I did. I realized that I wanted to have some heartfelt feelings and pining involved but I hadn't quite figured out who I wanted it to be. In the end it was either some insight to Ginny still wanting Harry or someone who had once liked Draco. I feel that I can empathize with Theo much more than I ever could with Ginny. 
> 
> Theo is a great character. I don't know if you picked up much of his personality and mindset from this chapter but he really is a great guy. He is a teddy bear who fell in love with someone who would never love him back. Draco was completely oblivious to Theo's feelings and never even almost considered anything romantic with him. 
> 
> I might just be a big baby but his heartache over Draco killed something inside of me. I think it is because I have never written something like that before. But goodness, I don't know if could have the mentality that he does. Draco's happiness matters to him, even if that means Draco isn't with him. God, that hits me right in my blackened heart. I have never loved someone that didn't love me back. I have seen it, read it and even had friends go through it but never had the experience myself. So that might be why it hit me so strongly. 
> 
> Moving on from that. The Slytherin hierarchy. This was something that I played around with a bit. I have always wanted to go this route with them. I mentioned in 'I Do What I Want' that there was a hierarchy. So this isn't something that I just sprung on you guys. I could have chosen someone other than Daphne for the leader position but there are several key factors that came to this conclusion. They will all come to light later on. Daphne is the perfect person for the leadership right now. There will be more on the hierarchy later. This was just a small spotlight to the whole thing. 
> 
> Does this count as another teaser to the happenings of Hogwarts? Is it making you wish the boys were back there? Or are you still content with the honeymoon? I am torn myself. I only know what I will do, not what I want to do. That was kind of cryptic. :P
> 
> One more thing. Don't worry about Theo attempting to come between our power couple. That isn't something he wants to do. I tried to make that clear with his thoughts, but he will always choose Draco's happiness first. So, no worries there. 
> 
> I would like your opinions on Theo. A lot of him is undecided with me. I am not sure what to make of him just yet. Do I like him? Oh, yes. I think he has a lot amazing qualities. Do I trust him? Ehhh probably. Do I think he will get along with Harry? .... 
> 
> Let me know what you think.
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	10. Strangers, Sadness and Suspicions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I teared up a little bit during this chapter. But you guys know that I am just a big baby so you may not even be affected. This chapter is not as long as I intended but it still is a decent length. Enjoy.

            “Daddy!” The whisper tore at his heart more than a yell would have. Bernard couldn’t do it, he couldn’t look into the eyes of his daughter. If he did, his resolve would break. He needed to be strong for the both of them.

            “Abbie, I need you to do as we planned. We have discussed this.” His tone of voice was harsher than he intended. There was no time to hash this out, he needed Abigail to leave. The intruder charms he placed around the estate had gone off several minutes ago. They would be on his doorstep any moment.

            “Why can’t you come with me?” Abigail begged. She didn’t understand what was happening. Her father had told her weeks ago that they might have to leave home for somewhere else. Said it wasn’t safe here anymore. She knew that what he really meant was that it wasn’t safe for her anymore. It was her fault that they had to leave. If she wasn’t a monster then this wouldn’t be happening. If she hadn’t been bitten then none of this would be happening.

            She could understand leaving but why did that mean he couldn’t come with? Not once during their preparations did her father ever mention that she would be going alone. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t leave him to face the  _Venadere_ on his own. That was what the _Global Enquirer_ was calling them. It was Latin for hunters. Wizards hunting werewolves.

            “Abigail go!” She clenched her eyes tightly to stop the tears from forming. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t lose her father after chasing away her mother. As soon as she was bitten, her mother took off. Abigail couldn’t handle life alone. She needed her father.

            “Please. I’ll do anything. I-I’ll be better! I promise. I’ll try harder. I’ll do the chores in the morning. I won’t stay up late. I’ll do anything! Please don’t make me go alone!”

            “Oh god.” Bernard fell to his knees and clutched his daughter to him. “Sweetheart you have done nothing wrong. I am not staying behind because I want to.”  His throat closed up as the tears he had been valiantly keeping at bay came pouring down.

            “I have to hold them off. I need to be here to make sure that you are safely away.” He explained. “I will come to you when it was safe.”

            It was a lie. They both knew this. The hunters don’t leave anyone alive. This was it. This was goodbye.

            “I love you Abigail. I love you more than anything in the entire world. You are not a monster. You are not a burden. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I need you to be strong and I need you to take care of yourself. Don’t- Don’t let anyone tell you that you are less than the amazing person that you are.”

            Each word he spoke sent a knife straight to her heart. She couldn’t do this. How was she supposed to go on from here? She was just a kid! Barely eleven years old. “I love you.” She gushed as she clung to his shirt and tried not to sob her heart out.

            “I love you too my little sunshine.”

            Abigail shuddered. This was the last time she was ever going to hear him call her that. This was the last time she was going to see him. This was the last time she would ever be in the presence of her father.

            There was the sound of feet slapping against the ground coming towards the front of the house. Her heart began hammering in her chest. She could stay behind with him. She could die too. She didn’t want to live if she would be alone. She didn’t want to live like this. “I can stay with you.” She croaked out.

            Bernard shook his head vehemently. “No you won’t.” He snarled. “You are going to live a long life. You are going to make something of yourself and you will be happy and safe.” It was a mantra he kept repeating over and over, hoping to believe it himself.

            The sound of spells shattering the shields he placed up cut off anything his daughter would have said. He shoved the portkey in her hands. “You still have the letter I gave you?”

            Abigail jerked her head in a nod. She could feel it burning a hole in her pocket.

            “Good.” Bernard breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t look back, you got me?” He demanded. “I need you to promise me that you won’t ever come back here.”

            “I promise Daddy.” She clenched the broken can to her chest. Abigail ran her eyes over her father’s face one last time as the portkey lit up. She was memorizing every detail and wrinkle on his face. She was committing every laugh line to her mind.    

            She stretched her free hand out the moment the portkey whisked her out of the only home she had ever known. If she squinted just right, she could almost make it look like her father had reached out for her too. She could pretend that their fingers had touched for the very last time.

            Bernard gripped his knees tightly, still kneeling on the ground. He could hear the intruders in the distance. His shield held up longer than he intended. He debated his choice one last time. He could apparate out of there, follow Abigail and go into hiding… but what kind of life would that give her? What kind of life is that? They would always be after her if she stayed with him. It was easier this way. In the end, Abigail would be alright. He just had to hold firm in the belief of his old friend. Had to believe that his daughter would be okay.

            When the front door smashed open and splintered into several pieces, Bernard stood up. Walking to one’s death felt like it should have been harder. Knowing you will die should have frightened him but with the knowledge that his daughter was safe made it that much easier to face the opposition. Knowing Abigail was alright gave him the courage to meet his end.

            “Where is she?” A harsh voice spoke before Bernard found himself on the end of an Incarcerous. The ropes binding him were tight and he knew that this was the end for him. He wouldn't make it out of this alive.

            “Dead.” He spat out, hoping they would believe him. “She was killed last week during a raid by your people.”

            There was a silence that followed his statement, one that made him uneasy.

            “You are lying.” A female voice spoke up. “We didn’t have a raid in this sector last week.” She slashed her wand in the air, making a cut appear on his cheek.

            Bernard didn’t flinch or wince at the pain. This was nothing. They couldn’t do anything to him. The pain of never seeing his daughter again was worse than anything that they could ever do to him.

            “I didn’t say it was in this sector.” He bit out. “She was at the McCain house.” There had been a gathering at a house in the next town over. The house was raided and the  _Venadere_ had killed everyone inside. Whether they had been a werewolf or not. With so many people, they sealed the doors and just burned the place down. The bodies were unrecognizable after the fact. It was the perfect plan to pretend Abigail had died there. They wouldn’t know any difference.

            “Why should we believe you?”

            Several people began trashing the place, looking for her. Spells were placed and traps made just in case she ever returned.

            “Her death was filed by the Ministry.” Bernard retorted in an explanation. He gestured his head towards a paper on the table. It had been a stroke of brilliance that he thought of it. He had to make it look like she really had died or no one would believe him. It wasn’t hard to get the Ministry to believe him. There had been too many bodies in the ‘freak accident’ for them to look too hard into the matter.

            “This is real.” The surprise in the leader’s voice was almost enough to make him sag in relief but he couldn’t do that. He needed to keep up the act or else they would spend time looking for her.

            “Seems a little convienent, doesn’t it?” The earlier female spoke up. “We come here for the girl and she just _happens_ to be dead and there is no way to prove it.”

            There was a low grumbling of whispers from the others as they considered what she was saying.

            Bernard had to force his body to stay still and not fidget. This was not the time to get nervous. This was not the time to start panicking.

            “You know what I think?” She spat out before crouching right in front of him.

            A slap to his face had his mind momentarily reeling. He hadn’t been expecting a physical attack.

            “I think that you got her out of here somehow. I think that she is still alive and I also think you are going to tell us.”

            That was all the warning he got before he was suddenly under the cruciatus curse. The pain was unbearable. It felt like thousands of knives cutting into his skin. Felt like a nightmare that he couldn’t wake up from. His muscles were seizing and he couldn’t breathe properly. He wanted to scream out but he refused to give them the satisfaction.  

            There was a pause in the spell. Bernard gasped for air and nearly sobbed in relief.

            “That was just a small taste.” The woman spoke with a vicious smirk. “Now, are you going to tell me what I want, or are you going to make this difficult?”

            “She’s dead.” He spat out, willing her to believe him.

            Bernard grew apprehensive when not only the lady in front of him grinned but also several others.

            “I do love it when they make it difficult.”

            “Crucio!” At least three different people yelled the spell out.

            If he had thought the first one was painful, this one was excruciating. He couldn’t hold in the scream if he tried. Every single muscle was crying out in pain. Every thought he had was blanking under the sheer depths of his pain. He couldn’t do this. This was going to kill him. There was no way that he would be able to last long under this. They would pause and give him a lapse but his body didn't feel like it was getting a reprieve. Whether under the spell or not, his body jerked and seized. There was no stopping the tremors of his body. No stopping the spasm of his muscles or the twitching of his limbs. The pain never really went away. The lingering aftershocks were almost as painful as the spell itself.

            Time ceased to exist for Bernard. There were moments where he would have clarity and dimly noted the absence of the spell and then there others where the pain was so intense that he wondered who he was. He lost count of how many times they had him under the spell. Lost count of how many others were participating. He couldn’t tell if it had been hours or minutes since they entered his home. The pain was so intense that it had him forgetting what life was like without the pain. He wasn't sure if his body was getting used to it or if he was just losing his mind.

            “No more.” He wasn’t even aware that he was speaking. He just knew that this was the single worst thing his body had ever been through.

            “Had enough? Ready to tell me where your daughter is?”

            “Dead. She’s dead.” He panted out with his eyes closed. He was beginning to forget a lot of things. He wouldn’t be able to tell them who he was or where he was but something was telling him that this was important. He had to just keep repeating the same sentence over and over again. Why? He had no idea.

            Another crucio had him openly weeping. He couldn’t do this anymore. Who were these people and what did they want? He would give them anything they wanted if they just stopped with the pain. If they would give him a moments peace he would do anything they needed.

            “Where is she?”

            The words were beginning to make no sense. His mental awareness was slipping away. Speech was disappearing the longer they kept up the pain. He honestly couldn’t remember his own name. He tried opening his mouth but only screams and gibberish could come out. He was here in the inside but nothing was registering on the outside.

            “Daeva.” Someone spoke up. “He has lost it. Anymore and he will be insane.”

            “Not good enough!” She screamed out in frustration. “Where is she? Where is your daughter?!”

            “D-D-dea-” That was all he could make out before the pain was back and his mind just splintered.

            “Crucio.”

            Again and again the pain came back until Bernard’s mind was blissfully blank. There was no cognitive thought. No attempts to speak. No recognition behind his eyes. There was just a shell of the former man.

            “He’s not in there anymore.” The leader spoke up. “If he knew where she was, he would have told us.”

            Daeva looked down at the idiot drooling on the floor. She was disgusted. “Avada Kedavra.” There was no point in keeping him alive. The guy was nothing more than a vegetable now. It was mercy killing, really.

            “Let’s find someone else. Who’s next on the list?” She was disappointed at the turn of the events. She would have loved to have taken the girl. It was a shame she was dead.

 

* * *

 

 

            Abigail looked around nervously when the portkey landed. She wasn’t sure where she was. It looked like a forest of some kind. She could hear things in the distance and it freaked her out. The darkness of the night didn’t help anything either. Her imagination was running wild, she couldn't help but freak out every time something creaked in the distance.

            There was a path nearby and that let her know that at least it would lead somewhere. Where to? That was a good question.

            With each step she could feel her heart breaking. She knew that they would be killing her father any minute now. Despite being angry that he didn’t come, she couldn’t help marvel at the fact that he had stayed behind to save her. It wasn’t too surprising. Her father was always protecting her. Especially after her mother left.

            Anger. That was something she could focus on to distract herself from the pain. Abigail was angry at her father for making her leave without him. She was angry at the werewolf that turned her. She was angry at her mother for abandoning her all those years ago. She was angry at herself for being a monster. She was angry at the world. She clenched her fist tightly until she could feel her nails digging into the skin. That was also a nice distraction from her mounting grief.

            A scuttling on the grass had her freezing in fear. It didn't sound human to her. She knew her ears could detect a lot things. Sometimes that was a good thing but not right now. Right now she could hear three owls hooting in the distance. She could hear the buzzing of either fireflies or perhaps butterflies somewhere nearby. The wings of a bat could be heard. The slithering of snakes and even the chirping of a sleepy bird were things she could detect. The sounds of so many critters and animals was almost too much. She wasn't used to all of the extra noise.

           The scuttling was different. She had never heard the sound quite so loud before. It reminded her of a spider but surely there wasn't a spider big enough to make that kind of noise?

           Abigail turned around and let out a whimper. The answer was yes. Yes there was a spider big enough to make that noise. The arachnid was at least twice her size and wider than her by a long shot.

           She held in a scream and immediately ran in the opposite direction. Her heartbeat was going crazy and the pumping of her blood was loud to her ears. The spider was fast and had an advantage of knowing the terrain. Luckily her eyes were also advanced from her condition. She could see as well as the spider could in the dark.

           A snarling reverberated inside of her. Abigail bit her lip in indecision. She didn't trust her wolf instincts. There was an imbalance inside of her because she refused to acknowledge her inner wolf. She thought of herself as a monster, which was something that her wolf vehemently disagreed with. The sound of the scuttling spider increasing had her giving over her mind to the wolf. She felt her nails elongate and her eyes sharpen further.

           The problem with escaping a spider was their ability to climb things. She thought about climbing up a tree but that wouldn't help her here. That would do nothing for her. She wished there had been time to take off her trainers. Almost as soon as she thought that, her feet elongated as well, breaking apart the fabric. Damn. That was her only pair of trainers she brought with her.

           With her feet free of the bindings, she was able to run faster and farther than the spider could keep up. There was light shining through the trees in the distance. Hopefully that was a good sign. Hopefully that meant that she would be getting out of the forest soon. It looked to be a clearing. The closer she got to the break in the trees, the quieter the scuttling became. The light of the trees appeared to be the furthest the spider was willing to go. She breathed a sigh of relief when the spider turned around and took off in the opposite direction.

          Now that the danger was siphoning off and her breath was beginning to come back to normal, she felt her nails shorten and her feet shrink. Abigail wasn't sure what to think about this. She was still uneasy about being a werewolf. She didn't want this. Didn't want to be looked down upon. She just wanted to be normal. She bit her lip in thought. If she had been normal, she wouldn't have survived the spider though. She shook her head angrily. If she had been normal, her father wouldn't have died.

        The sounds of footsteps had her head snapping up and her ears at full attention. Those were footsteps of a person not an animal. She just hoped it was a friend and not a foe.

            “Who goes there?” A harsh voice spoke. “I can hear you walking. Hurry up or I will take one hundred points away instead of fifty and give you two weeks detention instead of one.”

            Points? What was he talking about? Detention? The harsh way he spoke let her know that this was someone who was used to ordering others around.

            Abigail had to hold her hand up to block out the bright light that was now shining in her face. She couldn’t make out much of the other person other than they had a black billowing robe on.

            “Who are you? You aren’t one of the students here.” There was a sneer that was nearly visible in his voice. If that was possible.

            Abigail blinked rapidly. “Students?” She asked in confusion. “I don’t know anything about that. I have a letter, hold on.” She quickly pulled out the parchment her father gave her.

            In the light from the stranger’s wand, she could make out the name scrawled on the envelope.

            _Remus Lupin_

“Is this you?” Abigail asked. “Are you Remus, sir?”

            Severus Snape looked down at the scared child before him in interest. Her hair was wild and her feet were bare. He really hoped this wasn't another Luna Lovegood in the making. “I am not but I can bring you to him.” The relief on her face made him wonder just what was going on.

            The silence was a little awkward as he directed her away from the forbidden forest. What was a child doing in there? He noticed the rusted can in her hands and wondered if it was a portkey.

            “What business do you have with Remus?” He demanded to know. Remus was his partner after all.

            Abigail bit her lip and looked down at the useless portkey in her hands. She debated about what to tell this person. Her father said to speak to Remus and no one else. Even though the guy was far from friendly, there was something to him that made her want to speak up. “It is all in the letter, sir. I- he knew my father.”

            Knew. Past tense. Severus knew he would have to tread carefully. The child looked ready to bolt and if he wanted answers then he would have to choose what he said wisely. They had barely come far from the forest when the girl stopped walking.  

            “Woah.” Abigail whistled low in her throat as she stood frozen looking at the castle. Because that is exactly what it was. A castle.

            “Welcome to Hogwarts” Severus was amused at her reaction. A lot of muggleborns react like this but he knew that this girl was no muggleborn. He wasn’t used to seeing this reaction from children who had grown up in their world.

            Abigail snapped her gaze to the stranger. “ _This_ is Hogwarts?” She had always dreamed about going to Hogwarts but thought she never would get the chance. She received her letter earlier in the year since she was now eleven but the school didn’t know that she was a werewolf. Her transition had never been reported to the Ministry. They would never accept her so she stayed home and learned from her father. Just thinking about her father sent a fresh wave of grief through her heart.

            “That it is.” She could hear the man’s amusement and she shook her head. There was something comforting about the man. He wasn’t much of a talker and he looked like he could be quite mean if he wanted to. But despite that, there was something about him that made her want to trust him. Which was surprising. She didn’t trust people on instinct. Especially regular humans.

            “Come on. We don’t have all day.” Abigail smiled at the stranger’s impatience. He was so different from her father that she found herself intrigued.

            Abigail wasn’t sure what was going to happen to her now that her father was gone. She wasn’t sure if the _Venadere_ would come after her or if they would believe that she really had died. She wasn’t sure if Remus Lupin would help her or turn her in. She wasn’t sure what her life would entail. The only thing she did know was that this stranger, the one with a permanent sneer on his face, was someone she could trust… and she didn’t even know his name. She was so screwed.

 

* * *

 

 

           Draco looked around their hotel room one last time. He knew he was stalling but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

            “We could wait longer.” Harry offered as he watched his lover pace back and forth.

            “No.” Draco sighed. “I don’t want to do that. Ireland awaits us.” He really did want to get to Ireland. This was something he had been looking forward to for a while.

            “I just expected Theodore to have responded by now.” It was so unlike his friend to not respond to a letter. Theo was always speedy in replying. Especially to something important. Which Draco considered his letter as.

            “Well it was a little late when you sent it out.” Harry reminded him. He couldn’t take any more of the pacing. It was driving him nuts. He stepped up to Draco and wrapped his arms around him.

            The warmth of Harry’s body lulled him into resting his head on a comforting shoulder. “Do you mind if we ask the reception desk?”

            Harry didn’t even consider the question, he just dragged them to the door with their stuff right behind them.

            “Excuse me.” Draco said once they made it down the stairs and were standing in front of the desk near the entrance.

            “One minute.” The employee said. The man was talking to someone on the phone, which Draco hadn’t realized at first.

            Draco nodded his head in response and looked around the lobby as something to do.

            "One minute." The guy said again. Draco shared a confused look with Harry.

            "You already said that." Draco pointed out but frowned when the guy didn't acknowledge him.

            When it looked like the guy was almost done, Draco stood up straighter. Only… he was shoved to the side by someone else.

            “Hey!” Harry yelled angrily at the rude person. No one treats his husband like that.

            “How can I help you?” The receptionist had finished his phone call and assumed that the person that shoved Draco aside had been standing there the whole time.

            Draco had been about to say something to the employee but was cut off by a little girl that was clutching the woman who pushed him.

            “Mommy they are so pretty.”

            Harry looked around and saw that the girl was talking about a bunch of flowers that were placed around the front lobby. He didn’t think they were that pretty but that was just his opinion.

            Draco glared daggers at the woman who had pushed him. He noticed that the woman also had ignored her daughter, which didn’t sit well with him. There wasn’t much he could see of the daughter, she was holding a suitcase that covered most of her face. He wondered if it was charmed to be weightless.

            The annoyance in the bond was at an all-time high. Harry pulled Draco into his arms and grinned at the soft pleased sigh the blonde released.

            The feel of Harry’s arms around him always felt amazing. Harry didn’t even have to send him any emotions in the bond to calm him. With just a simple touch, he always felt better.

            “Next.”

            Draco broke away from Harry’s hold and stepped up. He hadn’t noticed which direction the rude lady went and he didn’t care.

            “I was just wondering if an owl dropped off a letter for me during the night?”

            “Name?”

            “Draco Malfoy.” Draco looked around to make sure no one heard him. This wasn’t England but his name was still powerful in France. He noticed the employee made no show of surprise or interest at his name. Intriguing.

            There was a rustling of paper as the guy began looking through the area designated for owl delivery.

            “I am afraid that I don’t see anything here for you or anyone else with the surname.”

            Draco sighed heavily in disappointment. This was what he had been hoping hadn’t happened. He bit his lip in worry. Why would Theo not respond to his letter? Was his friend mad at him? Or was he in on whatever Pansy and Blaise were keeping from them?

            “Thanks anyways.” Draco mumbled before grabbing hold of Harry’s hand and apparating them out of there.

 

* * *

 

           

            The moment they were gone the man pulled out a letter and signaled an owl from the rafters.

            He grinned widely at the letter addressed to one Draco Malfoy. “Can’t have you being sent so soon. I still need time to hash out my plan.” He tied the letter to the bird.

            “Ignore the name on the letter.” He demanded harshly, forcing some of his magic into the bird as a shock of electricity. When the owl hooted in pain, causing him to smile slightly. “Good. We understand each other.” The scared gaze of the animal sent a thrill through him.

            “Deliver this to this hotel in America.” There was a startled hoot in response. “I don’t care if it is too far away. Do it anyways. The person this letter is addressed to will be there late tomorrow. You need to be on time.” He sent another jolt of his magic straight into the bird’s veins.

            He watched the bird fly away in satisfaction. When he was sure the bird was doing what it was supposed to, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

            The door to the right of the reception desk opened and a man who looked eerily similar to the one who just left, made his way behind the counter.

            The new employee scratched his head curiously as he looked around. “I could have sworn I left the letter for Mister Malfoy right here.” He ran a spell over the sign-in books and frowned when he realized that they had checked out. “Perhaps someone else gave them the letter.” He wasn’t sure why but the idea made him a little uneasy. He was the only one who was here who could check someone out. So what happened to Mister Malfoy and his husband? Not to mention the letter as well.

 

* * *

 

 

            "There's another one."

             Amos Diggory looked up from the tedious report he was reading on the cases of illegal breading to see his junior assistant with a folder. He groaned internally. Not again. He was tired of having the same conversation over and over.

            "Burke." Amos sighed. "What is it you have?"

            Andrew Burke narrowed his eyes at his boss. This was not what he had thought would happen when he got a job at the Ministry. Being able to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had been a dream come true. He had wanted to make a difference in the world for Magical beings. Working for Amos Diggory was far from what he had been hoping for in a boss. Werewolves were being slaughtered weekly and  _no one_ was doing a damn thing about it. The evidence was right there if people would just bother looking.

            "There was another murder. Bernard Williams was killed last night."

            "Are we Aurors?" Amos asked snidely as he looked back to his report.

            Andrew clenched his fist tightly as he looked to his feet. "No sir but-"

            "No buts." Amos interrupted firmly. "We don't deal in murders, you can take your suspicions up with the Magical Law Enforcement."

           The problem was that the Aurors didn't care either. The proof of the murders were right there! Andrew didn't know what to do, he just wanted someone to do _something_ about it. It wasn't right.

           "Leave the folder behind and get back to work."

           Andrew looked at the folder in indecision. He had made copies in his office so this wasn't his only one. He carefully placed the folder on his boss' desk and walked out with his head bowed. He would have to find someone who could help. The only question was, who?

          Amos magically locked his office door the moment Burke was gone. He opened the folder with a frustrated sigh. Burke was getting out of hand. He had thought that a few reprimands would fix the problem but the boy was still obsessed with this. Amos frowned at the report that his assistant had compiled. His eyes narrowed at the sloppy murder. This is not the raid that should have gone down last night. He sighed again when he realized that he would have to leave work early to clean up this mess. If the _Venadere_ weren't careful, more people than just Burke would get nosy.

          He contemplated firing the boy but Burke was a powerful name. One of the sacred twenty-eight. He would have to have a damn good reason to fire him. If his assistant didn't cease with his investigation then he would have to take care of the boy too.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of you have mentioned the happenings of the werewolves. I wanted to ease you into that. I know that this chapter gave you more questions than it did answers but I am getting there. 
> 
> The love between father and daughter here was strong. Something I have never experienced, that's neither here nor there. Buttt I thought this was heart wrenching. He never gave her up. He was literally tortured to insanity and didn't give her whereabouts... that just touched me. 
> 
> Abigail liking Severus makes me giggle a little. Like what 11 year old likes Severus? Also, you may have some questions about Abigail and her wolf. That will all get answered later on. 
> 
> Ideas or theories on what's happening with Harry and Draco? Things are getting serious. Something is definitely following them. The poor owl.
> 
> Venadere doesn't actually mean hunter in Latin. I took the word hunter and kill and smashed them together to get the word. 
> 
> Now, Amos. I debated about this for a bit but I have good reason. It will all be talked about later. It was funny, I was needing someone that worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (Wow that is a mouthful) But I wanted to decide on an inside man for the Venadere and after I picked Amos, I found out he worked for that department. It was like it was meant to be. 
> 
> So.... Williams.... did anyone catch the surname? Come on, don't make me do all the work.
> 
> Let me know what you think. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	11. Snámh, Shíorghrá and Ireland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple things before we begin. Number one. If it is at all possible, please google kaleidoscope. I want you to see the images for the inside of one. This will be addressed later in the chapter. I want you to have a visual because I don't think that my writing will make you picture what I am aiming for. 
> 
> Number two. Drarry will be in Hogwarts in less than five chapters. Please be patient with me. I realize that you guys are excited for that and believe me, so am I, but I have to finish my plot before I can get into the next bit. Several of you are wanting this and again, so do I. Just let me get through this. 
> 
> I don't know what happened with this chapter. Like at all. I had so much planned and that didn't happen. Feelings ended up happening. It might be more emotional than normal. Also it is longer than I planned. I was expecting to have to stretch this chapter out. I thought I would have barely 5k words. That didn't happen. I have 12k words here and what gets me is that I would like to add more. 
> 
> What you gotta keep in mind is that it is almost 7:30 in the morning right now and I haven't been to sleep at all today. So my mind is really wanting to sleep. There is an entire scene that I wanted to add to this but didn't. I might edit it in when I am not tired. If I do, ill let you know in the notes before the beginning of the next chapter. I hate doing that but I really want to get this out.

            Draco lay panting on the bed as he tried regaining his breath. He moved to the right a little bit until he could rest his head on Harry’s shoulder.

            “How does studying end up in sex? Every. Single. Time.” Harry wondered out loud. It honestly shouldn’t surprise him that this was how the morning turned out. When don’t they sleep together?

            “I don’t know.” Draco admitted. “But I like it.” He ignored Harry’s loud snort and kissed the sweaty skin under his lips.

            “Of course you do.” Harry quipped with a roll of his eyes. He lifted his arms and pulled Draco closer to him. The after math of sex was just as good as the act itself. He adored being able to just connect to Draco like this.

            Draco began swirling a finger along Harry’s body. He furrowed his brows lost in thought.

            “Hey.” Harry said softly. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” He asked when he felt several different emotions.

            The immediate care in Harry’s tone made Draco smile. He pressed another kiss to his lover’s skin. He lifted his head and hummed in thought. “We have sex a lot.” Draco uttered suddenly.

            The statement caused Harry to arch a brow. It wasn’t like Draco was telling him something he didn’t know.

            “Like a lot, a lot.” Draco further explained.

            Harry tilted his head to the side as he considered what Draco was trying to tell him. “Is this something that you are opposed to?” Was Draco trying to say that he wanted to have less sex? He wasn’t sure what to think about that.

            “Salazar, no.” Draco blurted out. That was _so_ not what he was trying to hint at. He could feel the confusion in the bond and he bit his lip as he tried to figure out if he even wanted to have this conversation.

            “It’s just-” Draco sighed heavily. “I was a virgin before you.” In every life that had been the case. A gay king in a society that had outlawed relations like that didn’t exactly give him a lot of options. As Noah, he had been running from his father at such a young age and that left little room to have relationships. This life, he was too involved in the war to even almost consider a relationship.

            “So was I.” Harry was lost as to where this was going. They both knew these facts.

            “Before we slept together, I didn’t really have a high libido.” He flushed a little. “I was a little distracted with Voldemort in the Manor to consider things. So there wasn’t many times that I even masturbated.” Draco had to look away. Merlin, this was uncomfortable to talk about.

            Harry was beginning to grow amused at how pink Draco’s cheeks were getting. It was honestly endearing. They were married for crying out loud, they should be able to communicate to one another about anything. Sex included.

            “Well to go from having barely any sex drive to having a _very_ high one is making me curious. Most of the time I am the one initiating things and it makes me wonder if maybe the bond is influencing your libido to match mine.”

            The question held some merit but Harry still found it a little insulting. “Draco, I sleep with you because I want to. You would know it if I didn’t want to. I would never have sex just because you wanted it.”

            Draco bit his lip. “I know. I don’t mean to insult you.” He looked away. “I just- I don’t know.”

            “I love our sex life.” Harry grabbed Draco’s chin so that he could look into his soulmate’s eyes. “I love that you can’t keep your hands off of me.” He smiled at the blush that formed on Draco’s face. “I love how fast you can go from nothing to lustful in seconds. I love how quickly you turn me on too. I love having sex with you Draco. Even the quantity. I wouldn’t change a single thing.”

            Harry’s words sent a thrill through him. He could feel the anxiety lessen and he nuzzled Harry’s palm.

            “Plus I imagine that our sex life will slow down once inside Hogwarts.” Harry laughed at the way Draco’s nose wrinkled in disgust. He chuckled loudly. “I know, I feel the same way but our libidos will adjust. I mean we are having a lot more sex now than we did before the honeymoon.”

            “Yeah but that was because we were distracted with the darkness.” Draco pointed out as he kissed Harry’s palm.

            “That is my whole point. Our sex drive is adapting to our daily lives. We are on our honeymoon with plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. Plus with it being our honeymoon, the emotions are high and it makes sense that we would sleep with each other more.”

            The logic made sense to Draco. He didn’t fancy slowing down for Hogwarts but Harry was right, they would adjust.

            “So don’t worry about me. If you want I can initiate more often. I didn’t know it was a problem. Believe me, every time we have sex it is because I want it too.” Harry tried reassuring Draco. It was entirely possible that the bond influenced some of their emotions to match the other but there really wasn’t any proof to either confirm or deny that. They kind of just had to guess and move on, really.

            Draco shook his head. “It’s not a problem. I don’t mind how we have been doing it. I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page.”

            Harry kissed the top of Draco’s head. “Well we are.” He promised.

            The sweet emotions in the bond were causing Draco’s head to spin a little. He smiled softly before jumping out of the bed.

            Harry blinked rapidly at the sudden change. The emotions from Draco went from a pleased content to a rushed excitement.

            “What are you doing?” Harry asked with an arched brow as he watched Draco summon clothes from their suitcases.

            “I am getting ready. I want to see Ireland.”

            The excitement was almost as high as it had been when they were in Singapore. Harry smiled sappily watching Draco get ready. He himself didn’t need much time, so he spent the next few minutes gazing at his husband.

            The happiness in the bond made Draco pause as he styled his hair. He looked over his shoulder and grinned when he realized that Harry was staring at him. The expression on his lover’s face was definitely an intoxicating thing. The stare was intense and filled with so much. No one had ever stared at him like that. In all of his lives no one had ever made him feel like this. No one had ever treated him like he was _everything_.

            With his hair now forgotten, Draco took a few steps towards the bed and stared down at Harry just as intently. He ran a hand down Harry’s face and sighed when the raven nuzzled his palm. “Addicting.”

            Harry sent confusion in the bond instead of speaking up. What was addicting?

            “You.” Draco breathed out before leaning down and only stopping till he was millimeters away from Harry’s lips. “You are addicting. The way you look at me, as if you have never seen me. The way you touch me, as if you are starving for my body. The way you smile at me, as if I am some wonder. The way you love me, like no one has ever done. The way you hold me, as if you can’t bear to let me go. The way you get lost in my emotions, as if they are extensions of your own. Everything about you is addicting. You draw me in and I never want to leave. I could drown in you Harry.”

            The words sent Harry’s heart fluttering and the emotions sent his mind reeling. He closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against Draco’s soft plump ones. He pushed every ounce of love that he could in the bond. Words wouldn’t convey the message he was aiming for as well as the emotions would. After Draco’s sweet words, there was no way that Harry would be able to come close.

            Draco closed his eyes as he gently lowered himself on top of Harry. Kissing Harry gave him sustenance in a way that food wished it could.

            “Can exploring Ireland wait a little bit?” Harry asked when they broke apart. He noticed the way Draco’s eyes darkened and couldn’t hold back a groan when Draco licked his lips.

            “Definitely. I would rather explore you.”

            Harry would have told Draco how horrible that statement was but his mind blanked when a mouth met his neck and a harsh bite sent blood pumping south.

            In the end it didn’t matter if the bond was the cause of their in synch libidos, Draco decided as he set out to make another masterpiece out of Harry. They were pleased with their sex life and that was what was really important.

            A loud moan had Draco smirking in delight. Oh yes, they certainly were pleased.

 

* * *

 

 

           “Baby, where are we?” Harry asked as he looked around. They were in some kind of harbor. It kind of reminded him of the one in Puerto Rico, only smaller. There weren’t too many people around so it had that going for them. 

            “Technically we are in Dingle.” Draco rolled his eyes at the snort Harry released. Sometimes he questioned the age of his lover.

            Harry mouthed Dingle a couple times before he was able to push past the odd name.

            “However, this is not our final destination.” Draco looked around with narrowed eyes until he came across the options of getting to the village. He sighed heavily when he realized that they would have to take a muggle boat. He was not looking forward to this but it was their own fault really. They were late for the final call and only had themselves to blame.

            “Oh?” Harry was intrigued. He looked around expecting to see an entrance to the village they were supposed to be going to. Draco had said that it was a magical village but Harry couldn’t see any secret entrances anywhere.

            “Mhm.” Draco hummed under his breath as he entwined his fingers with Harry’s and pulled them towards a shack nearby. “We have to get a boat and go out just a little bit in the water. You can’t see it from here but we go out of the Peninsula and to the right a little and it’s right there.” He had never been there himself but it was something he had researched.

            Harry felt a little unease about going on the water again. Ever since the voyage to the Bermuda Triangle, he had a lot of wary emotions about open water.

            “I know.” Draco told him with a squeeze of their hands. He felt the same way. Going on the water would never quite be the same.

            They made to the boat rental agency with worried feelings surrounding them. There was a woman in her early to middle twenties behind the counter.

            “Welcome to Seagull’s Swiftest Waterworks. Where we have all your water needs at competitive prices. Ranked number three in Customer Service in all of Ireland. My name is Leitis, what can I help you with?”

            “Third?” Harry asked with arched brows. He couldn’t fathom why anyone would mention that. Surely they could have said first? It wasn’t like other places of businesses didn’t lie.

            “Harry.” The tone of Draco’s voice clearly said, ‘Let it go.’ Harry rolled his eyes but decided it didn’t matter. If they wanted to promote their business like that then who was he to argue?

            “We need a boat for two.” The smile on Draco’s face caused Harry to tilt his head to the side. It was a charming smile. One that he had witnessed the blonde use on several teachers in Hogwarts. “We will only need a 24-hour rental.” Which wasn’t really true. They would be using it for maybe half that.

            The woman smiled kindly at Draco in return. “That is easy enough. I have several open that you can choose from.” She gestured to a book on the counter a little to the left of Draco’s hand.

            While Draco began thumbing through the pages, Harry realized that he was under the securitization of the employee. He gave her a smile that he hoped appeared to be friendly.

            “What brings you to Dingle?” The conversation starter made Harry groan internally. He didn’t want to make small talk.

            Draco ignored the humor at the mention of the city again with a roll of his eyes.

            “Our honeymoon.” Harry supplied with a soft smile. Their hands were still entwined, so he gave a small squeeze to the warm palm in his own.

            “Really?” There was something in her voice that made Harry look up at her with a frown. “Do you mean common law?”

            Draco paused in his search for a decent boat to look at the woman curiously. Common law? What was that?

            “No.” Harry began slowly, unsure where this conversation was going to lead. “We got married just like a man and a woman would have.”

            There was a flash of _something_ in her eyes that had Harry almost stepping back. She wasn’t exactly threatening, it was just the unknown that was bothering him.

            “Where at?”

            The question wasn’t one that would normally render them speechless. If she wasn’t a muggle they would have told her exactly where and how they had gotten married but they couldn’t do that here. Gay marriages weren’t legal in the muggle world. Draco opened his mouth but closed it again when he felt a stab of negativity in the bond. He shrugged and went back to the book.

            “It was a small town in a foreign country.” Harry lied evasively. He had stepped forward, pretending to read the book along with Draco, effectively stopping the conversation.

            “This one is fine.” Draco said hurriedly and pulled out enough muggle money to cover the cost. There was an extra fee for it not being in the right denomination for Ireland but Draco wasn’t concerned about that. It was best if they left now before the muggle started asking more questions that they wouldn’t be able to answer.

            Once they were safely inside the boat and taking off did they relax a little bit. “We should have a better cover story.” Harry advised, placing his head on Draco’s shoulder. “One of these days we aren’t going to know what to say.”

            There was some truth to the statement, Draco had to agree. He still had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that in the muggle world his relationship with Harry was seen as something wrong. Sin. Harry completed him in ways that most people wouldn’t understand. How could that ever be wrong?

            Draco had to shake away the thoughts or he would end up in another rant on why wizard mentality was better than muggle and he knew that Harry didn’t want to listen to that any more than he wanted to say it.

            “Angel, I want you to focus your eyes up ahead. Let me know when you see it.”

            Harry furrowed his brows in response. “See what? What am I supposed to be looking for?” Sometimes he hated that Draco liked to mess with him. The vague instructions were driving him nuts.

            When Draco didn’t answer his questions, Harry folded his arms across his chest with a humph. He did not pout. Absolutely not.

            “My grumpy baby.” Draco cooed before placing a kiss on pouting pink lips.

            Harry took offense to that. He opened his mouth to tell Draco to get bent but before he could there was something up ahead that made his speech falter.

            “What?” Harry spoke up with narrowed eyes. There was several docks ahead of them but that didn’t make any sense. They were in the open water, there was no way that the wood reached all the way down. The only logical explanation was that it was floating.

            The closer they got, the more Harry realized that the _entire_ village was on the floating docks. Houses, buildings and even shops were floating in the ocean. He was impressed with the magic that it would have taken to create this place. It was a little city out in open water.

            “This is cool.” Harry whispered in awe. “The muggles can’t see it?”

            Draco shook his head. “Nope. They either see terrain they can’t cross in their boats or the muggle repelling charms send them away."

            “At night, all of this is lit up. There are candles protected by bubble head charms underneath the water that give an ethereal glow.” Draco was excited to see it all.

            “This is Snámh. An all magical village right outside of Dingle.”

            With the translation spells still applicable, Harry understood that the translation literally meant float. Interesting that they had gone with a literal title when deciding the name for the village.

            “You have been here before.” Harry assumed. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the village. It was just so different.

            “Actually, no.” Draco admitted honestly.

            That drew Harry’s attention away from the floating docks. “Really?” He was surprised. “You are just so knowledgeable about it all.”

            Draco kissed the top of Harry’s head when they were close enough to tie the boat to the dock. “I told you that Pansy and I had done a lot of research when Blaise was wanting to date the Leprechaun.”

            “Yeah.” Harry conceded with confusion. “But what does that have to do with a-” He stopped talking and turned to look at the blonde with wide eyes.

            “No way.” Harry breathed softly. “Is this a Leprechaun village?” He hadn’t even been aware that there was a designated Leprechaun village. This was fascinating to him.

            “Aw, sure look it.”

            Harry and Draco looked up as soon as their feet were firmly out of the boat and onto solid wood to see who had said that.

            The man who spoke was tall, taller than either of them. By a long shot. He had a strong jawline and a rugged brown beard that matched messy short brown hair peeking through a beret. His eyes were kind and soft but he seemed to be a little irritated.

            “Pardon?” Draco asked kindly but also in confusion.

            The guy released a sigh. “It is a confirmation.”

            Harry shrugged when Draco looked to him. It must be something locals say.

            “Oh.” Harry uttered at a loss for words. “Well, it is very beautiful here.”

            Almost as if he had said the magic word, the irritation seemed to bleed right out of the guy.

            “Aye.” The man said with a thick accent. “What brings you here? We are in a town lockdown at the moment.”

            Draco’s eyes widened. Town lockdowns in Snámh only happened when something serious was happening that required the _entire_ village to be there.

            “We are sorry to interrupt. We didn’t know.” Draco apologized. He hoped that nothing too bad was happening to the town that would require a lockdown. “We can come back another time.”

            If Harry was surprised, he didn’t let it show on his face. Whatever was going on must be serious.

            The man’s eyes softened further at the apology and shook his head. “It is alright. No harm has been done. We are not in the business of turning away people. If you follow me, I can lead you to an area that you are welcome to wait by until the lockdown is done.” He paused for a moment to think something through.

            “Regrettably, you cannot enter our congressional area. Lockdowns are for our people only.”

            This much Draco knew. He nodded his head and held out his hand. “The wisest go first.”

            There was no holding back the surprise in his face this time. Harry looked at Draco and then at the other man in total confusion. Damnit. He hated feeling incompetent.

            Draco couldn’t entwine his hands with Harry’s just yet but he could push love into the bond. He knew that Harry was floundering a little bit and that wasn't his husband's fault, it was his own. He had given Harry a book on Leprechauns this morning but they had… studied each other instead.

            “The generous go last.” The man recited back with a pleased smile.

            As soon as the man relaxed, Draco was able to take hold of Harry’s hand.

            “Aedan O’Brady at your service.”

            They quickly shook the man’s hand. There wasn’t a flicker of recognition when they gave their own names so that was good enough for them.

            “It is nice to see visitors who know our customs.” Aedan told Draco with a proud smile. Draco nodded his head in recognition but didn’t reply, it would have taken away from the compliment and would have insulted the man.

            “Wait.” Harry tilted his head to the side. “O’Brady? You wouldn’t happen to be related to Cian O’Brady would you?”

            Surprise flickered across the Aedan’s face. “Cian is my younger brother, actually.”

            “We met him in Singapore.” Draco explained as he waited for Aedan to gesture them forward.

            Aedan made a noise of understanding. “I feel sorry for you then.” He teased with a grin, lifting his hand up before turning around.

            “His trip was very… eventful for us.” Aedan mumbled more to himself than to them.

            Harry opened his mouth to ask but Draco quickly shook his head no. It would be insulting to ask something when the information hadn’t been freely given. This wasn’t an introduction nor was the statement left in a suggestive tone, indicating that questions or objections were welcome.

            They followed Aedan down the narrow dock that led into an open area that bled into pathways to many different directions. Harry felt like it was a fork in the road with too many options to choose from. He paid attention to which way they went just in case they got lost later on.

            There was a warning being spelled out by flashing colors right above a giant shield in the shape of a bubble. They were to enter the bubble and let the Leprechaun’s magic enter their body. Draco stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the letters. He ran his hands through his hair in worry. Fuck.

            When Aedan noticed that they hadn’t followed him past the section point, he turned around with heavy suspicion.

            “It is mandatory for all visitors to go through our monitoring spells.” There was a command to his tone that let them know it was not up for debate.

            Harry wasn’t sure what the problem was. It wasn’t like they had anything on them that would hurt the people here.

            “Can we go together?” Draco finally asked. There was no way that he would do it alone. It wasn’t because he worried that something would happen to him. He just wanted to be close to Harry when the spells went through his body. They did share the same magic after all.

            If they had been hoping the suspicion would lessen with the question, they did not get their wish. If anything, Aedan looked more suspicious.

            “Alright.” Aedan conceded from the other side of the bubble. “If you both don’t go through the cleansing then I will use force.”

            The threat alarmed Harry but he calmed down when he didn’t feel any fear from Draco. He only felt nervous apprehension.

            Draco pulled Harry into the bubble charm with him and wrapped his arms around the other boy’s neck.

            He hadn’t thought that they would be subjected to the cleansing. It would be because of the lockdown. It made sense, even if Draco didn’t like it.

            As soon as the cleansing spells were activated, Draco knew it was safe to talk without fear of being overheard.

            “This cleansing ritual takes off any spell, charm or potion someone has used to hide, alter or disfigure their appearance, person or inner characteristics.” Draco explained to Harry’s questioning glance.

            Ahh. Their bond. Harry buried his head in Draco’s neck. “Is this something to be worried about?” He wondered. He didn’t like that the dampening and concealing spells they placed earlier would fall off. It just wasn’t safe for them to be walking around with the bond freely visible to Magical Beings. With this entire place a village for Leprechauns, they would be the center of attention. He just knew it.

            “I don’t know.” Draco admitted. Which was something that did not sit well with him. He liked to know what he was getting into. “This place isn’t dangerous like Sicily was. Leprechauns only do violence when sanctioned or provoked.” They both shivered when it felt like their insides were being given a cold shower.

            “I feel like I just stepped through Nearly Headless Nick.” Harry complained with another shiver. “That was unpleasant.”

            There was a popping noise that signified that the ritual was done.

            When they stepped out towards where Aedan was standing, fingers still entwined, they looked up at him.

            Aedan was standing frozen to the spot as he stared intently at Harry and Draco.

            “I see.” He whispered in understanding. “I wouldn’t have wanted to go in there either.”

            Neither one of them know what to say to that, so they kept quiet and waited for Aedan to take them the rest of the way.

            “ _Shíorghrá.”_ Aedan whispered in awe.

            They didn’t need the translation spell to let them know that he had said soulmate. The man was staring at the space between and around them with such reverence that it made them slightly uneasy.

            It seemed to take Aedan a lot longer than most Magical Beings to compose himself. Harry spent that time not looking at the man and instead melting into Draco’s arms. He felt a little exposed under the gaze. Normal was something they would never be. Wizards and witches back home would never look at either one of them and see them as people instead of some kind of entertainment value. Magical Beings will never be able to see them and _not_ see their bond first. He would rather have someone look at him for their soulmate bond over the stares in England but he wished they didn’t have to put up with either. He just wanted to be able to walk somewhere without being noticed.

            Draco did not like the emotions coming from Harry. It felt wrong. He hated when Harry wasn’t comfortable and there wasn’t a ready solution. Not being able to help his soulmate sent a wave of incompetence through him.

            “No.” Harry whispered, looking up at Draco. He didn’t want Draco feeling responsible for not being able to help. It wasn’t his husband’s fault that they had to go without a dampening spell.

            “Can you give us a minute?” Draco asked the still silent Leprechaun. He knew he was supposed to wait for the man to give permission but he couldn’t concentrate when the bond was unhappy. He pulled Harry over to a bench that was a little bit away from what looked to be a giant church or meeting area. Belatedly, he realized it was the congressional area.

            “Can you tell me what you are feeling?” Draco asked, placing a kiss to the top of Harry’s head as he guided his soulmate into his lap.  

            The question should have been redundant. They knew every single emotion that the other one had. Draco could feel the whirlwind emotions and the unhappiness in the bond. He knew how Harry felt but sometimes the mind didn’t quite match your emotions. One could be sad but angry in their mind. He wanted to understand not feel.

            Words sometimes failed Harry. When you don’t _have_ to explain yourself verbally and can just use emotions, it becomes normal. They didn’t really have to speak to get the message across. The emotions and flashing feelings were a language all on their own.

            The frustration stemming inside of Harry let Draco no that words would not be coming.

            “It’s alright.” Draco assured him with a gentle hand through messy hair. “Is it the bond? Do you not want people to know?”

            Harry snapped his head up at the stupid question. There wasn’t any pain or hurt feelings so that let him know that Draco was just curious.

            The indignant anger let Draco know that he was wrong with that line of questioning. He smiled softly at his beautiful husband. Even in a mini panic mode, Harry was the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen.

            The anger quickly morphed into a half curious, half pleased emotion. Harry loved that admiration coming from Draco but he wasn’t sure where it was stemming from.

            “Alright. If that isn’t the reason than is it because you want privacy?”

            Harry leaned forward to press his forehead against Draco’s cheek. “Kind of.” He finally spoke out. “I just want to be normal.”

            Draco tightened his hold on Harry. “We have never been normal. Not when we were in our first life. Not when we were in our second life and certainly not this life.”

            This Harry knew. This was something that he was constantly reminded of. They have had this conversation before, as well.

            “I don’t want normal.” Draco admitted. He grinned at the flash of surprise in the bond. “I love being your soulmate and I love spending my life with you. Whether we were normal and boring, I would love you just as much. But Harry.” Draco paused to rub his cheek against black hair. “We rock the shite out of being unusual. We take it all in stride and we own it.” He knew that it sounded a little like bragging but it was the truth.

            “We handle every crazy thing that life seems to throw at us pretty well. We are one amazing duo.” He could feel the agreement in the bond and knew that he was succeeding in his speech.

            “So if that means that we have to endure extra stares and uncomfortable moments in public, then I will take it. The tradeoff isn’t too high of a price to pay.”

            Harry bit his lip lost in thought. He agreed that the tradeoff wasn’t bad but he hated that there had to be one at all. Why couldn’t people just mind their own business and leave them alone?

            “Okay.” Harry mumbled quietly. “I’ll try and get over it.”

            Draco shook his head with a tsk. “I don’t want you to get over it. If it upsets you then that is fine. Let it upset you, just keep the rest of this in the back of your mind. It is alright to be bothered by something and it is alright to be angry at the circumstances. There is nothing wrong with what you are feeling. It is okay to not be happy and it is okay to want to vent.”

            “What would I do without you?” Harry honestly wondered. He could feel his anger and unease slip away. It didn’t completely go away and that was alright. He would never be comfortable being the center of attention. He would never be okay with the stares of strangers. Never be okay with being looked at like an exhibit in a zoo. But Draco was right, it was okay to feel like that. He didn’t have to get over it, he just had to work around it.

            “Probably would have married Weaslette and had a dreadfully boring life.” Draco quipped with a teasing smile.

            Harry leaned away with a wrinkled nose. “Nightmares are not to be talked about in polite conversation.” He made his voice go in a drawl that sounded like a not so good impression of Lucius.

            Draco threw his head back and laughed loudly. “One, that was a horrible impression. Stick to saving the world.” They both grinned at each other. “Two, I find it ironic and pleasing that you say that that life would have been a nightmare.”

            “Any life without you is a nightmare.” Harry honestly told him.

            “I see that you two are still making me lose my appetite.”

            They snapped their heads up to see Joseph and Cian walking towards them. The former with a giant grin on his face while the latter’s expression was a dumbfounded shock.

            Harry scrambled off of Draco’s lap and they both met Joseph half way. Before they could say anything, they heard running and a triumphant shout.

            “Look! I knew I recognized that bond!” Jake came busting out of the big building in front of them.

            “I was the one who _told_ you that it was them.” Blake argued with a shake of his head.

            A clearing of a throat drew their attention to Peter and Kenny calmly walking towards them. Unlike Jake and Blake had, who were now panting slightly next to Harry and Draco.

            “Technically, I am the one who sensed it first.” Peter piped up.

            Kenny rolled his eyes. “What does it matter who was first?”

            As soon as all of them were in arm’s length of the soulmates, Harry and Draco found themselves in the middle of a group hug.

            “Oi!” Draco yelled when one of them messed up his hair. He couldn’t tell who was who with all five of them around him. “It took time for this perfection.”

            “Perfection?” Joseph snorted, taking a step back. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

            Draco narrowed his eyes at the snickering of their friends. “I will have you know that I am the perfect specimen of humanity, right Harry?”

            When everyone turned amused eyes to Harry, who grinned at Draco before fixing his lover’s hair. “Absolutely. Which makes me the spouse of said perfect specimen. I always wanted to be a trophy wife.” He teased.

            Draco rolled his eyes while everyone broke out in laughter.

            “I had hoped that you would respond to my letter but I didn’t think it would be this fast.” Kenny said with a little awe in his voice.

            Harry and Draco shared startled looks. “What letter?” Harry asked slowly, with furrowed brows.

            There was an uneasy silence that followed the question. One that made them both nervous.

            Kenny looked to Peter with something unreadable in his eyes. “I sent you a letter about two days ago requesting your assistance. Both of your assistance.” He told them with a frown.

            They stared at Kenny a moment before turning to each other and sharing uncomfortable wariness in the bond. “We never received a letter.” Draco spoke up.

            “Really?” Peter asked with a skeptical brow. “Then what brings you here?”

            “Our honeymoon.” They said in unison. “We have Ireland today and America tomorrow.” Draco finished.

            Before their friends could form a reply, Harry spoke up. “What was in the letter?” He was concerned about the fact that they didn’t receive any letters. Was this related to Draco not receiving a letter from Theo?

            Kenny sighed heavily before sitting down on the bench. Peter looked to his mate and quickly followed to provide support. “We need your help.” He looked up to Harry and Draco gesturing between all of them.

            “The werewolf situation is getting worse. Not just within England. An organization called _Venadere_ has popped up within several countries.” Joseph spoke when Kenny didn’t say anything. “It is Latin for hunter.”

            Not that Draco or Harry needed the word translated. They both knew what that meant.

            “They are assassinating werewolves left and right.” Peter piped up with a snarl. “Just within the last few days there have been thirty slain werewolves reported throughout the world. That is just the ones reported, mind you.” He added with clenched fists.

            Harry felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He was worried for Remus and Teddy. He was worried for Joseph. He was worried for every single werewolf out there. He mourned the loss of the innocent people who were killed. He was angry over the deaths and furious over the meaningless reasons they were murdered.

            “What did you want us to do?” Draco breathed out. He was horrified. “We will do anything we can.” He promised.

            Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and held on tightly. He needed the physical contact to make sure that everything was alright. With so much bad in the world, he needed to make sure his own world was alright. Which was Draco.

            Joseph whimpered before he pulled them both into a bone crushing hug. “Thank you.” He whispered. “You don’t even want to know how hard it is to get people on board with doing something.”

            Harry’s heart clenched at the pain in the werewolf’s tone. He didn’t like a sad Joseph. It looked wrong on him.

            “How do we help?” Draco looked to Kenny and Peter. “We are just two people.”

            Kenny shook his head with a fond smile while everyone else scoffed.

            “Yeah but you are Harry and Draco Malfoy.” Jake argued with a shake of his head. “With you on our side, it will attract national attention.”

            Draco furrowed his brows. “You want us as your spokespeople?” He bit his lip. He didn’t really like the sound of that. He would do it regardless but he had been hoping to actually do something worthwhile.

            “Ow!” Jake whined when Joseph smacked him upside his head.

            “Ignore him.” Joseph demanded looking back to them. “That isn’t what we intended for you both.” He promised. “But it is a side perk.”

            Harry gestured with his hand for them to continue. He was intrigued.

            “You said you have a friend in England that is a werewolf.” Joseph pointed out.

            Harry nodded. “Remus Lupin. He is my… godfather?” He looked to Draco. “That’s not really it.” Sirius would always be his godfather. “Honorary godfather?” He mused with a frown.

            “That kind of sounds insulting.” Draco offered with his own frown. “Parent?”

            Harry scrunched up his face. That wasn’t it either. “Family?” He retorted back. Draco’s frown cleared. “Family.” He agreed with a smile. It might seem weird to not have an exact title but it worked.

            “He is my family.” Harry told Joseph with a grin.

            “Lupin?” Joseph leaned back with surprise. “There was talks of making him apart of the werewolf council about two years ago.”

            It was Harry’s turn to be surprised. Remus had _never_ told him that nor had the man ever even mentioned the existence of a council.

            “He turned down the spot. Said that his son needed him in England and couldn’t leave.”

            “Oh.” Harry choked out thickly as his eyes filled with tears. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Remus was talking about him. He called Harry his son and wasn’t willing to leave the war effort for him. He was filled with so much affection for Remus.

            There was a longing in the bond and it made Draco smile. He himself was missing the werewolf and his baby cousin. He pulled Harry into his arms and ran his fingers through Harry’s hair when he felt a few tears on his neck.  

            Harry took a shuddering breath. He was embarrassed that an offhand comment could get to him like that but he was so happy that Remus said something like that. His whole life he had imagined what having parents would be like. He pictured what a father would teach him. He pictured what a mother would show him. He imagined how it would feel to be in a real family. Not what the Dursley’s had been. He had always wondered what the love a parent would be like.

            When he got older, he knew that the love of a parent was stronger than anything. Especially since his mother’s love had saved him. But he had been a baby when that love had manifested. That love did nothing for him in the middle of the night when he was starving inside his cupboard. That love did nothing for him when he was alone and wishing for some kind of comfort besides the whispered pep talks of his own mind.

            He thought he had found parental love with Sirius and he did in a way. Sirius loved him the best that he could. Life for Sirius wasn’t good nor was it ideal. There weren’t many opportunities for Sirius to be there for him and that was alright. The moments that he was, was just fine for Harry. But Sirius was gone and the grief of Sirius’ death hit him harder than the death of his own parents’ deaths. He didn’t know his parents. There wasn’t the same emotional connection that he had once held with Sirius.

            Remus had always been his favorite when the man was teaching at Hogwarts. There was something about the man that drew him in. It was the way he was kind. Almost to the point of being walked all over. Kind adults were hard to come by. Not only was he kind, he was also trustworthy. That was a hard thing for Harry to understand. His whole life he never had a proper adult figure and then he came to Hogwarts and the teachers didn’t listen to him when there were issues or they were only there to punish. Remus though was different. He listened to Harry when he needed to vent. He taught him outside of class when he needed it and always talked to him and not at him.

            There had been a bonding comradery between the two of them when Sirius died. Remus was going through just as much pain as he had been but never once blamed him. He held him back that night in the Ministry. He could still feel Remus’ arms protecting him from following Sirius into the veil.

            Remus was brave. So brave. To face the prejudice of people on a daily basis but still be so kind and giving. Harry didn’t think he could do it. He didn’t think he would be able to. Eventually Harry would have snapped at someone. Not only was he brave but the man was loyal too. Remus always followed Dumbledore’s orders and gave everything that he had for the war effort. He never heard Remus complain. Never heard the man utter a negative word about his circumstances. If there was anyone that Harry wanted to be like when he grew up, it would be Remus.

            “Sorry.” Harry mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. He didn’t have to be very vocal, he knew that with them being Magical Beings that they would pick up on it. “I am feeling very emotional today.”

            Draco kissed the top of Harry’s head and pushed a wave of soothing calm and a lot of love.

            “Oh my.” A whispered awe filled voice spoke up.

            Harry and Draco looked over to see Cian staring at them. Harry wasn’t sure what the comment was for. Was Cian talking about his lapse in emotions?

            “It is beautiful.” Cian whispered before he winced so hard that his muscles jerked, closing his eyes. “Sorry. I can’t look at you for long.” There was a regretful tone to his voice. “It’s too much. Too colorful. Too bright. Too _everything_.” His voice cracked, sending shudders through the Leprechaun’s body.

            Joseph looked startled and quickly pulled his boyfriend into his arms. “Hey. What’s wrong?”

            “Please.” Cian whispered. “Please shield it. Or dim it. Or glamour it.” He begged. “ _Please-_ I can’t- It’s- Please.”

            Harry was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth to say something but Cian morphed into his Leprechaun form so quickly that it startled him. He remembered that Draco had said they do that when they are uncomfortable or scared. He watched Joseph carefully place his boyfriend on the floor.

            Draco didn’t even think. He waved his hand and performed their tweaked dampening charm over their bond. There was so much pain in Cian’s voice and that worried him.

            “We are sorry. We didn’t mean to cause you pain.” Harry stressed. He wanted to place a hand on the guy’s shoulder but chose not to. Not when the guy was in his other form.

            Cian took several calming breaths before looking at them with an apology. There was a pause while the man changed back to his original form, panting slightly.  “Please don’t apologize. I tried to hold out for as long as possible. I- It isn’t your fault.” He smiled gratefully at Joseph before stepping back into the werewolf's arms.

            “I didn’t know that you were soulmates.” Cian began to explain. He smiled fondly at the guilty expression on Joseph’s face. Harry was proud of the fact that his friend kept their secret even from his boyfriend.

            “I don’t know what it is that they can see when they look at you.” Cian gestured to the rest of the gang. “But Leprechauns see color in all forms of magic.” Draco blinked rapidly. The books didn’t tell him that.

            “From everyday spells, big curses, natural magic and even wild magic of the world. There are colors for it all. I don’t know how to really explain it.” Cian paused for a moment. “Do you know what a kaleidoscope is? It’s a muggle optical instrument with multiple reflecting surfaces, which are designed to hit at an angle and showcase symmetrical patterns and colors. The more you twist the device, the more things show up. The colors are beautiful and the patterns can make you a little awed.” He waited until Harry and Draco nodded before continuing. 

            “That is what I see when I look at you. I see thousands of patterns and millions of intricate shades and hues. I can’t make them all out. I can’t understand them all. I can’t figure out where it starts and where it ends.” There was a frustration in his voice. “It isn’t just one kaleidoscope either. You both have your own separately and then _many_ together. It is distracting. It is constantly changing. I thought I had become accustomed to it. I thought that I could force my eyes to adjust but just when I pushed passed it all and was finally beginning to see again, you did something.” Cian let out a whoosh of air.

            “I don’t know if it was emotions. I know that soulmates share that but I have never experienced that in a visible bond before. Whatever it was that you did, made it all multiply and expand. It is like comparing a house to a mansion. The depths of your already hard to look at kaleidoscopes multiplied beyond anything that my magic can read. It was too much. Makes it hard to compute. Makes it hard to even think straight. Your bond makes my own magic falter.” Cian finished looking at the ground.

            “I hate to have asked you to glamour something so beautiful.” They could hear the regret in his voice. “I feel awful. Something like that shouldn’t be covered up. You should feel free to be who you are.” Cian looked at them and Harry’s heart melted at the glistening eyes. “I’m sorry.”

            Draco looked around them and noticed that they had attracted a crowd of people. They all looked just as pained and just as regretful as Cian. It wasn’t just Cian that was sensitive to their bond, it was all Leprechauns. Which explained the way Aedan had looked at them.

            “Hey.” Draco spoke up, looking back towards Cian. “It’s alright. To be honest, we feel more comfortable with our bond dampened in public. We don’t like to show that much of ourselves to people, you know what I mean?” He asked with furrowed brows. “It is something special between us and we like to keep it that way. The only reason we had it out in the first place was because of your cleansing ritual.” He jerked a thumb back to the giant bubble charms.

            Harry smiled warmly at the Leprechaun. “So no feeling guilty. We prefer this.” He was telling the truth. The feeling of being on display lessened so drastically that Harry couldn’t help but relax. He felt worlds better now that the bond was once again only for them.

            Joseph was running a hand up and down Cian’s back in a soothing manner. “I miss the scent of your bond but that is alright.” He said in a teasing tone. “I am just happy you both showered before showing up this time.”

            The joke caused the sad atmosphere to break and chuckles to be heard around them.

            Harry scowled. “One time and you can’t let it go.” His mouth was twitching though, letting them know that he didn’t mind.

            “Look at it this way love, they can’t say we don’t get any.” Draco joked.

            Several groans came from their friends. “Too much information.” Jake and Blake complained.

            “I just can’t believe soulmates are here.” Cian was still surprised. “I never thought I would ever come across soulmates in my lifetime. It is surreal.”

            The awe in his voice made the duo feel a little uncomfortable. They knew that soulmates were revered but the way he had said it was like they did something extraordinary. Being a soulmate was wonderful but it wasn’t like they had done anything but exist. They didn’t do anything life changing. Sometimes people treated them like they had created a potion to give squibs magic, or something else as equally out there. They acted as if them being soulmates somehow was a reflection of their merits.

            “We are just like you.” Harry whispered, not meeting anyone’s eyes. He didn't want recognition for just being themselves.

            Cian opened his mouth to say something but caught the shake of Joseph’s head. He worried that he had said something wrong.

            “Erm, what was it you were saying before all of this?” Harry asked looking back up at them. “You were asking about Remus.”

            “Right.” Joseph began with a business face. “The werewolf council has been in shambles for years. They argue with one another and they have stupid power plays that affect the way things are ran.” He admitted with annoyance. “But since the attacks started, they have come together and are actually make an effort.”

            Draco nodded his head to show that he was listening but he was doubting some of the validity to the statement. The werewolf council had been a mess for so long that he wondered if they really cold shape up.

            “They have branched out to _all_ the other councils across the globe and have requested a conference.”

            Draco leaned back in shock. “What??” He breathed out. “There has _never_ been an international conference of the councils.”

            Cian seemed pleased that Draco knew enough about Magical Beings to know about the councils.

            “We know.” Peter, Kenny, Joseph, Jake and Blake spoke up as one in amusement.

            “Right.” Draco pinked up. “You would know about that.” He coughed and looked away.

            Joseph looked at Draco fondly. “There is no saying that all of the councils will show up but the message is out there. We figure Singapore will be the safest place to house it. The sanctuary is the only place that will guarantee the safety of everyone involved.”

            Harry tilted his head to the side. That would be the best bet. Even if it was housed in a small village in the middle of nowhere, the threat of spies or even the _Venadere_ were pretty high. At least Singapore had protections set up to keep out anyone who wanted to harm the Magical Beings inside.

            “It could take some time for all the councils to decide if they will even show up. So the date of the conference is set for a month out.” Kenny told them with a grimace. “Not soon enough for our liking but it gives all the different councils spread out around the world to come together.”

            A month? Draco wasn’t so sure about the length. The Werewolf issue was happening now. How many more deaths would occur during that time? How many more lives would be taken?

            Joseph ran a hand through his hair. “We didn’t like the idea of waiting so long on the chance that the councils don’t show up. So we have started out going to the councils that we can and see if we can talk them into agreeing to the conference. That way we get a picture of what it will look like.”

            Peter nodded his head. “The thing that we want to get people to realize is that this isn’t just a werewolf problem. Right now that is how it looks. The other councils don’t care that werewolves are being killed if that means that their people aren’t.” He scowled. “But the question is what is the end goal to the _Venadere_? What happens if they succeed in wiping out the werewolf population? Are they going to be satisfied there? Or are they going to go for other Magical Beings as well? When does it stop being a werewolf issue and it start becoming an everybody issue?”

            “We need to come together and get rid of this as a Magical community.” Jake and Blake finished together.

            Harry and Draco looked between the six of them with smiles and amusement. “Guys, you don’t need to convince us. We are with you.”

            Joseph let out a chuckle. “Sorry. We are just having a hard time selling this to other people. What you see before you,” He paused to point to the rest of their circle. “Is the only publication this movement has got. No one else is doing it. No one else is trying to make a difference.”

            “What do you want from us?” Draco and Harry said together.

            “We need a voice in England.” Kenny explained. “Your Remus is a werewolf and if he could spread the word of the conference of the councils and what is going on to not only werewolves but also other Magical Beings, then that would be perfect.”

            “We don’t have anyone in that region. The more people who know what is going the better. So many people are blind to their government and don’t really know what is going on. The papers print the news they want to show, not necessarily what is actually happening. Censored news isn’t news at all. We need everyone to wake up to the horrors of the rest of the world.” Peter piped up.

            “Perhaps do a protest or even a rally. Maybe even just passing out flyers or the reports of the victims lost. Anything will help.” Joseph begged with his eyes. “There is only six of us. We can’t reach the whole world with small numbers like that.”

            Soon Harry and Draco were on the receiving end of six pairs of puppy dog eyes. If they hadn’t wanted to help beforehand, this surely would have done it.

            “Of course we will help.” Harry told them with a grin. His mind was already whirling with many ways they could get the word out. Despite the earlier reservation about the comment of being spokespeople, that is what would help the best. They would have to get the word out somehow and what better way to use his name?

            Once again, they were in the middle of a group hug. Only this time, Cian participated.

            “So, what are you guys doing here?” Draco wondered when they all broke apart.

            Cian grinned proudly. “The lockdown today was a meeting with the Leprechaun council. My council is officially on board with the plan.”

            Draco let out a low whistle. The Leprechauns never get involved in other species problems. It was a testament to how bad things were getting that the Leprechauns were willing to participate.

            “Select members of the guard will travel with us when we speak to other councils.” Cian continued.

            Harry felt surprise in the bond and frowned in confusion.

           Draco could feel the confusion and turned to the brunet. “The guard are the protectors of Snámh but they are also the lucky.” Since he was talking to Harry, he missed the raised eyebrows of the people around them.

            “The lucky?” Harry questioned.

            “Mhm.” Draco hummed in agreement. “Leprechauns being lucky is what most people know them for. Felix Felicis or more commonly known as liquid luck is a knock off of _true_ luck.” He smiled at the startled look in Harry’s eyes. “The potion is toxic if taken frequently but it is nothing compared to what happens when you over indulge in actual luck. Deadly, luck will kill you if you aren’t careful.”

            “But what exactly is luck?” Harry wondered. He was fascinated to think that there was something luckier than the potion.

            “Magic.” Draco explained patiently. “It is a certain branch of magic that only Leprechauns can perform. It isn’t something that can be taught. It is hereditary. Remember the lesson we had on the Native Americans and their magic of the land?”

            When Harry nodded, Draco continued. “It is similar. It just can’t be taught. Centuries ago the Leprechauns had to go into hiding because people were hunting them for their luck. Humans by nature are greedy and luck twists people. Just because you are lucky doesn’t mean you are invincible. People wanted more and more of it.” Harry had a bad feeling about this.

            “Duels were at an all-time high because people who had been granted luck thought that meant they wouldn’t lose. But what happens when someone who is lucky fights against someone else who is lucky?” Draco questioned as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind Harry’s ear.

            Harry furrowed his brows. “It evens the playing field.” He concluded. “Wouldn’t that mean it would come down to skill?”

            Draco grinned. “Yes. So the families of the losers demanded compensation for their dead loved ones. They, like everyone else, assumed that being lucky meant you could never lose.” He shook his head at the idiotic thought.

            “But like I said earlier, it is deadly. When people started getting sick and dying, luck was found to be the cause. That is when the Leprechaun hunts started.” Draco scowled. “Leprechauns didn’t always live in Snámh. They were forced to find somewhere that they could live peacefully away from other populations. Ireland isn’t where they were born, it is where they settled. After so many centuries of being here, people tend to lose sight of the past.”

            Harry loved it when Draco gave him history lessons. It was interesting to see how it transformed him. He loved the way the silver eyes became expressive. Loved that Draco couldn’t keep his hands still and sometimes gestured with them subconsciously.

            “Over the years, the luck has intensified inside of the Leprechauns. Compared to what it used to be, it is incredibly potent. The luck of a Leprechaun now a days should only be taken once a lifetime.” Draco wouldn’t even touch it then. Luck was a dangerous thing if not handled correctly.

            “Which is why Felix Felicis is a popular potion. They can’t get the potion right because luck can’t ever be truly manufactured. So the potion might grant you occasional bursts of luck but that is it. Most of it is mind over matter anyways. You think you are lucky and therefore perceive normal acts of coincidences as luck but in all actuality, you might be better off taking a placebo potion.”

            This was news to Harry. He furrowed his brows as he thought back to when he had taken the potion. There had been a feeling of talking to Hagrid but that had been in his mind before the potion because of the letter Hagrid had sent him. He thought back to the talk he had with Slughorn but the man had also been a little inebriated by alcohol. That would have affected the man’s thought process as well. He could remember Ginny saying the spells during the fight with the deatheaters missed them by inches but couldn’t that be explained by a narrow miss? That happened. It wasn’t unusual for a spell to miss. Was it all really the mind? Had his potion been nothing but a dud? Had he fallen to the same trap as Ron? He had fooled Ron into thinking he drank the potion. Karma, he supposed.

            “If it is like a placebo then how come it is toxic to take in regular doses?” Harry wondered.

            “Because of the ingredients inside of it. Anything in over indulgence is bad for you, really. Take healing potions for example, they are great but if you take them when you aren’t in need, it causes the stomach lining to thin, ulcers to form and a dependence that will be hard to shake. The ingredients to Felix Felicis are already not good for you. Which is why a dose of the potion is so small. Didn’t you ever wonder why Slughorn gave you a teeny tiny vial? A dose of normal potions are at least three times the size. If he had given you anything bigger, it could’ve had a detrimental impact to your health.” Draco explained as he wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist.

            Harry hummed in thought as he thought all of this over. It really was interesting. He wanted to do an experiment to test the real effects of the potion.

            “And why are the Guards called the lucky?” Harry asked once he got back on track with the original conversation. “Can only certain Leprechauns perform that magic?”

            “No.” Draco shook his head. “All Leprechauns can give out luck. It is just that the Guards are trained to use it as a weapon as well. They are taught more intricate ways to use luck.” He could feel some confusion in the bond and tried to come up with an analogy.

            “Take two bakers. One can only make cupcakes but the other can make actual cakes. They are both made from the same ingredients. One is just on a larger scale and can feed more people. The same can be said of the Guards. They can use the same magic as any other Leprechaun, they are just taught to harness it in bigger and different ways, which will affect more people.”

            “Woah.” Harry finally uttered when he was on the same page as Draco. “Why are the Guards going to the other councils?”

            “That is a good question.” Draco admitted with a kiss to Harry’s nose. He wanted to know the answer to that as well. He turned back to the rest of the group but kept one arm wrapped around Harry. “Care to answer that for us?”

            Draco stopped talking at the looks of stunned bewilderment on their faces. He furrowed his brows. “Have I said something?” He looked to Cian who was blinking rapidly. “Was it rude of me to explain it all to Harry?” He bit his lip. “It is your history after all. Should I have let you to tell him?” The etiquette books didn’t go into detail on this kind of situation.

            It took Joseph elbowing his partner before Cian jerked into movement. “N-No. It’s fine.” He assured Draco. “I apologize. It is just that we don’t get wizards who bother to study our culture here. It is common for other Magical beings to know but not- not wizards.”

            “Oh.” Draco pinked up and looked at the floor. “I just really like learning about Magical Beings. I always have.” Even as a child he was fascinated by beings that weren’t like him. He wanted to know everything.

            Harry pressed a sloppy kiss to a pale cheek. “That’s my baby.”

            Draco rolled his eyes but smiled softly at Harry as a show of gratitude. He nuzzled his head against Harry’s cheek.

            “Again with the loss of appetite.” Joseph teased.

            “I think I rather like you.” Cian declared, still looking at Draco. “Platonically.” He added when Harry narrowed his eyes at him. Everyone else, including Draco, snorted at the add on.

            “To answer your question.” Cian began. “Our council has come to the decision to allow any of the foreign councils that agree to our movement, the gift of one dose of luck. True luck.”

            Draco really did whistle this time. He smirked internally at the blatant bribe but it was one that he knew would no doubt work. Leprechaun luck was no joke. It would definitely attract attention.

            “Which is why the guards are coming with us.” He finished explaining.

            “That is impressive.” Draco admitted.

            They watched the pleased smiles spread on their faces with amusement. It would seem that their friends were needing verbal support as well.

            Harry looked to Kenny and Peter. “Are both of your councils on board as well?” He realized he said the wrong thing when everyone winced.

            Kenny bean fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “Well… no… not really… I-” He blinked furiously and Harry’s heart sunk when he realized that the guy was blinking back tears.

            Peter cleared his throat as he pulled Kenny to him. “Both of our councils are using their absence from the movement as a means to punish us for our mating union.” He narrowed his eyes angrily. “Instead of helping out Magical Beings in need, they feel the need to use our mating as a political means to ‘show’ why two different species of our caliber shouldn’t be mated.”

            Harry couldn’t fathom the thought process behind this. “They would rather punish two people at the cost of potential slain Magical Beings? That is cruel.”

            “The irony of the whole thing is that both councils came to the agreement together. They cite how different they are and that interspecies mating of two Magical Beings would never work but they manage to make a business relationship work just fine. How different can we be if they can work together?” Kenny spoke up bitterly.

            Draco frowned. He was in agreement with Harry. It was incredibly selfish of their councils to choose a punishment over helping hundreds of people in need. “Is there anything that we can do to help with that?” His first thought was to talk to Severus. His godfather had several contacts with a few Vampires. Perhaps they could partition for a meeting with the council and approach them from that angle. If they presented a good case to the Vampire council and managed to succeed, then the Incubi council would surely follow.

            Kenny smiled warmly. “No.” He sighed heavily. “This is a fight that we can’t win, unfortunately.”

            Harry watched Draco nod his head but the bond was not agreeing with the action. He could tell that Draco was going to pursue this anyways. He sighed sappily at his wonderful husband. Merlin, he loved this man.

            “I love you too, Harry.” Draco told him with a sweet smile. He couldn’t push any emotions without distracting his line of thought. Sometimes words were needed over the emotions. Which he found ironic considering the problem was reversed earlier.

            He ignored the surprised looks of everyone else as he began hatching out a plan. He nodded his head to himself when he crossed out dead ends mentally. He hummed in thought when he figured out legitimate ways of going forward. It wasn’t too different from presenting a case. With some more research on both of the councils he was confident that he could get a hearing. He would have to hash out the plan with Harry. It would been requesting a weekend away from Hogwarts because the time frame would put them back in school. Time wise it was hard for him but this was important. He could reason spending a few days away from the school. With Harry by his side, they were sure to win.

            By the emotions in the bond and the way Draco’s eyes were narrowed in determination, he could tell that his husband was already forming some kind of plan. It was fascinating watching Draco think. He loved the way the blonde’s mind works. He would have to wait until they left here to ask about it. Harry suspected that it would be a surprise thing for Kenny and Peter.

            “So.” Harry spoke to the rest of the group as a distraction. “Do you want to show us what else you have been working on for the movement?”

            They were shown inside of the building that everyone had been in during the lockdown. There was a door right on the inside that led to another room. Once inside, the area was a tad small for all of them to fit comfortably, Harry realized how hard they all had been working. There were maps hung up all over the place with dots showing where the foreign councils were located. There were dots of every slain werewolf by the Venadere marked. There were the names of all the victims on a list by the door. Suspects or suspicions were hashed out near the table. Ideas and theories to promote the movement were hanging on the back wall. Their friends had an entire operation set up here.

            “Woah.” Harry and Draco said together in appreciation. “You have been busy.”

            “That we have.” Jake and Blake said proudly.

            They spent the rest of the day coordinating plans and ideas with their friends. In the end they didn’t explore Ireland like they had anticipated. They didn’t roam around or even go to any tourist attractions. Despite that, neither one of them were upset by this. They enjoyed spending time with everyone and the idea behind the movement was too good to pass up.

            “If we didn’t already have the tickets pre-planned, then we would be able to stick around with you all tomorrow.” Harry apologized when it was time to get back to the hotel.

            Joseph waved the apology away. “No worries. We have it all taken care of here. Besides, you two should enjoy the rest of your honeymoon.”

            They felt a little guilty leaving but they couldn’t deny the excitement of visiting another place that they had never been to.

            They were on their way to the door when Draco had a sudden thought. “Hey Harry, since we didn’t really explore Ireland does that mean you will be up for some more exploring in the room.” He waggled his brows suggestively.

            Harry wrinkled his nose as the rest of the room groaned. “That was the worst proposition I have ever heard.” Which caused Draco to laugh.

            “That may be but you didn’t say no.” He pointed out. Draco walked ahead of Harry with a slow sway of his hips. Draco smirked at the lust in the bond. He had won this round.

            The victory in the bond was almost enough to make Harry consider telling Draco nevermind but another sway of those hips had him reconsidering. Draco could win this one. Harry had no problem being a gracious loser.

            Ireland turned out to be a success in many ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what it is but when Drarry is involved with my Singapore boys the chapter ends up long. Lol. Not sure why that is. 
> 
> I was going to post this chapter yesterday but I wanted to wait to add more. Which I am happy that I did. I am still not all the way pleased with this chapter but that is only because I want to write more to it. This is the first time where I am hesitant to post it. I am second guessing myself and I don't like that. Like should I wait? Or is this fine? Grrrr. Indecision about my writing isn't something that I am used to. Maybe it is my sleepy mind. I don't know. I just know that I am not happy. Sorry for the rant. *Sigh*
> 
> The beginning. Not all couples experience wanting sex at the same time. Everyone's sex drive is different. Sometimes vastly different. I also did realize that this sequel has a lot of smut and also implied smut. It is their honeymoon, which I have already told you all that would affect their libidos. When the honeymoon is over, there will still be smut and definitely implied smut but not in this kind of frequency. It will be spaced differently. Like Harry said, they will adapt to their surroundings. To be honest, I could change my mind later and add more in but who knows?
> 
> I like the reversal of emotions in this. I like that they went back and forth when needing comfort and when to give the comfort. It is a give and take and I like showcasing that. 
> 
> I do hope that you all realize that I paid a little homage to the boat scene from the first instalment. I couldn't help myself. 
> 
> There is not as much as I would have liked to add about the Leprechauns. I mean they were in here but there was so much of their characteristics that didn't showcase, which upsets me. 
> 
> The bits with Remus being mentioned. Maybe I was just in an emotional mood. I don't know. But I did like what was mentioned about it and I love that Remus would consider Harry a son. 
> 
> I like the whole movement my Singapore boys have going on. I think it is awesome that they are doing SOMETHING when no one else is. 
> 
> Like I said earlier, I may add more into this chapter before the next update. It will all depend. 
> 
> Oh, and please please please don't complain to me that Harry wasn't very smart in this chapter. I hate defending my writing choices but I will if I have to. Draco was born into this world. Harry was not, obviously. Let's face it, Harry's schooling wasn't very good. There is so much that he doesn't know and there is so much that Draco does know. I could've had Harry read the book Draco was going to show him but I adore every time Draco teaches Harry things. Also, when Draco teaches Harry, he is also teaching you guys. It would be hard to convey to you all what is going on if Harry already knows what is going on. It would leave a lot of internal dialogue and that just doesn't sit well with me. I like smart Harry just as much as the next person but it would be silly to overlook the knowledge that Draco has in him. 
> 
> Sorry for any readers from Ireland. I know that I didn't show jack shite of the place. I apologize for that but I needed this chapter to be about the movement.
> 
> Also, there really wasn't a translation for soulmate. There is one for My Soulmate but not really one without the my. So I just took off that part. Sorry for the inaccuracy! Another also, in Ireland the guard is their police. I just liked it being called that and supplied it for the Leprechauns. 
> 
> I write the author notes before I edit the chapter. Good fuck I am barely awake. Pardon me if there is more grammar errors than normal. I will look over the chapter again when I wake up. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	12. Bitersweet Memories and the Choices that Define You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out longer than I had originally intended but that is alright. Just means it took me for fucking ever, lol. Hours, guys, hours. I suppose in the long scheme of things, that isn't that long. But my aching back and numb ass will disagree with that statement. I don't know why I am suddenly in writing moods, I won't question it but you have another chapter. I am on a roll this week. 
> 
> Only thing I really have to say is that this is taking place right after Severus found Abigail. Also, this is a non Drarry chapter. But prepare for some slight emotions!

           Remus was barely listening to Pansy and Blaise talk. He knew that was rude but he was worried about Severus. His partner was supposed to have been back by now. The nightly patrols shouldn’t have taken this long. He wasn’t worried about the students attacking, they would have to be mental to attack Severus. It was his worried overactive imagination that was getting to him.

            “And then a giant phoenix burst through and announced the revival of Dumbledore.” Pansy said with a grin as she watched Remus pretend to listen to her. She wondered how many outrageous things she could say before the werewolf would finally catch on. So far, she had announced that she had seen evidence of Luna’s Crumple-Horned Snorkack, proof that soulmates were bananas in disguise, and even suggested that muggles were the true leaders of their world. Not a single word of their conversation was sticking with Remus.

            Blaise snorted loudly, attempting to hide it behind a cough. “Which caused The Dark Lord to find a way past the veil and come back as well. He couldn’t be dead if his rival was alive.”

            Pansy shoved her fist in her mouth to stop the giggles from escaping at Blaise’s words.

            “Really?” Remus spoke up with a nod of interest. “How nice.”

            That prove to be too much for them and they erupted into guffaws of laughter.

            Remus startled at their laughter. He couldn’t fathom what could possibly be so funny. He watched the both of them slide off the couch with concern as they clutched their stomachs. Had they fallen victim of a cheering charm? He tilted his head to the side as he tried to recall the last of the conversation.

            “Did you say that the Crumple-Horned Snorkack was really Voldemort’s banana?” Remus asked in confusion. What in the world were they talking about?

            That sent another round of laughter throughout the room.

            “No.” Pansy chortled with tears of laughter falling down her face. “But I wish I had.”

            Blaise slapped his hand on the ground repeatedly. This was just what he needed. Laughter wasn’t something that they really got to do these days. He was feeling worlds better.

            “You two are taking the mickey out of me, aren’t you?” Remus narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

            When they didn’t reply and kept giggling like first years, Remus decided that was answer enough. If they wanted laugh at him, then he would give them a reason to laugh.

            Pansy and Blaise were too distracted by their laughter to really pay attention. Which Remus figured was not very Slytherin of them but it played into his own revenge, so that suited him just fine.

            Remus lunged off his chair and landed gracefully down between the two immature 18 year olds. He used a hand for each of them and tickled them mercilessly.

            “No!” Blaise squeaked out through the tickles. He tried shoving the hand away but werewolf strength was no joke.

            “Oh _please_.” Pansy begged. She hated being tickled. The last time George tickled her, she accidentally kicked him in the face. _Accidentally_ … right, that was what it was.

            “ _That_ is Remus Lupin?”

            The new voice startled all three of them into not moving. Remus paused his wiggling fingers and looked up to see Severus with surprised exasperation on his face. He looked to the left a little and noticed a little girl. He couldn’t tell how old she was but it could be anywhere from eleven to thirteen. She had wild coppery brown hair, with the light flickering, he could almost make out black highlights. Her eyes were wide but there was a shadow covering part of her face, he couldn’t make out the eye color.

            “This isn’t exactly how I pictured you meeting him but yes, this is Remus.” Severus was amused. What had transpired in here for this to be the scene that they would walk in on? "And those two idiots are Pansy and Blaise." He smirked when said idiots glared at him.

            The worry that Remus had been feeling before, melted instantly at the sight of Severus. He rushed forward and took his lover’s face in his palms. He ignored the arched eyebrow and turned the pale face in multiple directions, looking for any injuries.

            When there were no spotted injuries, Remus pressed his mouth against thin surprised lips.

            Severus wasn’t sure what was going inside of Remus’s worried brain but he wasn’t going to complain. He wrapped his arms around his lover and kissed back just as forcefully.

            “First I was nearly tickled to death and now I am going to hurl my dinner up.” Blaise complained as he pulled Pansy up off the floor.

            Remus leaned away slightly to smirk at them. “Maybe it will teach you not to mess with me next time.”

            “How exactly did they mess with you?” Severus demanded to know.

            The dangerous way that he spoke had Pansy and Blaise straightening up. “We were just teasing. No pranks.” Pansy swore with her hands up in the air.

            “Are you alright?” Remus asked Severus, ignoring the weak excuses. “Your patrols shouldn’t have taken so long.” He saw the way black eyes softened and he rested his forehead against Severus’. “I was worried about you, Severus.” He whispered low enough that Pansy and Blaise wouldn’t hear him.

            Abigail watched the two men in interest. She had never had any role models when it came to love. Not with her mother leaving and her aunt disappearing but she couldn’t help but melt a little at the love they had for each other. She was surprised to find out that the sneering man was named Severus but she realized that the name seemed to fit the man. Nothing common or normal would have been enough for him. Watching the two men embrace was interesting. Severus seemed so… cold but around Remus he was not. While Remus seemed the opposite of Severus’ cold nature. There was a kindness that was easily obvious to her.

            She watched Remus with a tilted head. For days, Abigail had been trying to picture what the man would look like. The only thing her father had told her was that Remus had once been a close friend. She had wanted to ask what had happened to their friendship but the pain in his eyes deterred her from speaking up. Now though, she wished she had. There was something… soft… about Remus that reminded her of her father.

            Abigail inhaled deeply, trying to get a sense of the room. Her eyes widened when she caught a whiff of Remus.

            “ _Oh_.” She whispered. “You are a werewolf.” Figures that her father would leave something so important out.

            Remus whipped his head over at her statement, to stare at her. Now that he was by Severus, he could make out more of her features. The sight of her amber eyes had his eyebrows raising.

            “So are you.” He inhaled and nodded his head at his suspicions. There was an earthy scent to her that was just so undeniably werewolf. He furrowed his brows when there was _something_ else to her that didn’t add up. He wasn’t sure what it was or even how to ask. It was befuddling his senses.

            Pansy and Blaise shared intrigued looks. They hadn’t really ever met another werewolf besides Remus. There were werewolves during the war but neither one of them had been a part of that.

            Severus arched a lone brow. He had not realized that when he had come across her. Interesting.

            When the girl didn’t say anything, Remus stepped towards her with his hand stretched out. “Remus Lupin.”

            Abigail bit her lip as she looked down at the offered hand. This was unusual for her. Meeting nice people, that is. She knew that Remus would help her, just as she had known that Severus was trustworthy.

            “Abigail Williams.”

            The choked noise Remus let out startled everyone in the room. They looked to Remus in worry and also interest.

            Remus blinked rapidly as he stared at the child. He took in her features with keen eyes. He nodded to himself when he could see the resemblances to Bernard. He was annoyed with himself for not figuring it out sooner. There was even a smell to her that reminded him of his onetime friend.

            “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby.” Remus couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He was trying to compare the little two-year-old to the young girl that was before him now.

            Abigail blinked rapidly. “You knew me?” She whispered in shock.

            Pain seared through Remus at the fact that she didn’t even know who he was. “I take it Bernard didn’t tell you about me?” There was a resigned bitterness to his voice that worried Severus.

            Severus gestured for everyone to take a seat. He pulled Remus with him to the couch so that he could keep an arm around his lover.

            “Where is your father?” Remus asked, instead of waiting for a response to his question. It was obvious that his friend had never bothered to tell her a single thing. Damn him.

            Abigail was still clutching the letter and the broken can. She thrusted the letter towards Remus in reply. There was no way that she could actually speak the words. It would make it too real. She just hoped that her father had put something in there that would hint at his death or she would have to be the one to break the news.

            The letter felt nearly weightless in Remus’s hands but he knew that it would bring him a lot more than well wishes. He almost didn’t want to read it but one look at her face was making him fear the worst. With worry in his gut and apprehension filling his veins, he shakily opened the envelope.

           

_My Dearest Remus,_

_I know I am the last person that you would wish to receive a letter from. The only thing I can do is tell you that I am sorry and to hear me out before you make a decision._

_You were right. Merlin, that was the one thing that I couldn’t tell you all those years ago. I know that you aren’t the type of person to rub that knowledge in my face but you would be entitled to, if you wished. I was wrong. So wrong. I thought that I knew what I was doing. I thought that because my decision was one made out of love that it meant I couldn’t be wrong. How foolish of me._

_Unfortunately, the only one who will suffer for my mistakes is Abigail. She is beautiful, Remus. The only thing in my life that I will never regret. She reminds me of you in so many ways. She is smart. So intelligent and always questioning things. I wish you could have seen her grow up. She would have loved you. Abigail hates what she is and I know that if she had been around other werewolves, that her opinion could have been changed._

_Her hatred of her inner wolf is my own fault. I let her grow up thinking that her mother left her. You told me that it would be unwise to not tell her of her heritage. You told me that she deserved to know. You were right. I was never angry at you. I know that it must have appeared that way but I was angry at the situation. I took that out on you and for that you have my sincerest apologies. The things I said to you were horrible and I regretted them the moment they left my mouth. I continue to regret them every single day since. When you walked out of my life, you took a piece of me with you._

_I do not know how much you know about the Venadere. Hopefully you have subscriptions to better things than the Daily Prophet. There is a pattern to their victims. I figured it out and knew that Abigail would be next on their list. The Ministry never knew that she was a werewolf. Of that I made sure of. So if the Venadere discovered her whereabouts then that means they have someone on the inside. They have a werewolf in their organization that is selling out their own people. Do not ask who because I don’t know._

_With the knowledge that she was going to be next, I made the necessary steps to make it seem as if she had died in the McCain fire. Her death was reported to the Ministry and even approved. No one will look for her now. No one will know what I have done._

_The reason you are receiving this letter is because I will be dead. I had to be here when the Venadere come for her. Any other way and they would assume she is alive. I needed to be the one to tell them. The moment I discovered Abigail would be next, I knew I would die. They don’t leave behind witnesses._

_Dying isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I always thought I would pray for more time when the end comes. But knowing that my death will leave her safe, is the easiest thing that I have ever done. I have a few days until I meet my maker and I am surprisingly okay with this._

_I am entrusting the life of my daughter with you. I know that you are busy and recently have a son as well. You don’t have to keep her with you, if that is not safe. I am begging you to find any way to help her out. If that is with friends out of the country then so be it. I just ask you to set aside our differences and do this one thing for me. Abigail deserves the world and shouldn’t pay for my faults._

_I never did tell Abigail a single thing. I know how much of a coward that makes me. I know what I am asking you to do is unfair. I know that it should not be your secret to unleash. It is almost cruel that I am asking you this. We both have always known that you are the better man. Please don’t let her go uneducated in this. If she ever meets the council, which we both know she will, it would be an insult to them for her to remain ignorant._

_I thought I had time. I was going to tell her. I promise you this. I had hoped to tell her when she got older and I had helped her come to grips with her inner wolf. Life doesn’t abide by time unfortunately. Not telling her will always be a grave error on my part._

_The things I have asked of you are not something that I am proud of. I wish that this wasn’t what life had in store for me or for her. She won’t understand nor will she be happy with me. That is alright. I can take her hatred, if that is the route she goes down._

_I am choosing to believe that you will indeed help Abigail. I thank you with everything that I am. My vaults have been wiped clean and reopened under your name in an offshore account. Gringotts has been instructed to let you know. With the Ministry believing that she is dead, that money would have gone to the Goblins and I couldn’t do that to her. Use whatever you need to take care of her and then the rest can go to her._

_You will never know the true depths of my gratitude. The biggest mistake of my life will always be letting you go. I wish things could have gone differently between us but that was my own fault. I never did stop loving you. I should have waited for you._

_Take care Remus. Perhaps I will see you again in the afterlife. Maybe we will get another chance in another life._

_Love,_

_Bernard Williams._

Remus clenched the letter tightly as he lost control of his emotions. He could feel the tears running down his cheeks but ignored it. He could feel the eyes of everyone on him but he ignored that as well. This had not been what he thought would be in the letter. This was not how he thought having to Bernard back in his life would have been like. He closed his eyes tightly and turned till his face was buried in Severus’s neck.

            So many memories flashed through his mind. Most of them great and some of them horrible. His mind was having a hard time wrapping around the fact that his friend was dead. He couldn’t even imagine what Abigail was going through. He couldn’t imagine what kind of courage it would have taken for Bernard to sacrifice himself to save her.

            Severus ran his fingers down Remus’s back as he held on tightly to the man who has grown to mean so much to him. He detested that something was causing him distress. He knew that whatever was in that letter was not good.

            Abigail was a little taken aback by the show of emotions. It was obvious that Remus knew her father closely. She was confused as to why she had never heard of him until now. She could tell by the tears that it must have warned of his coming peril. She wanted to ask him about the letter but chose not to. She would let him grieve. Something she as well should be doing but Abigail couldn’t bring forth any tears. Not right now.

            Blaise looked to Pansy with worried eyes. They both wanted to comfort Remus but could see that Severus was doing a good job of it. It was almost surreal to think that this was the same person who was tickling them just ten minutes ago.

            After several deep calming breaths, Remus was able to keep his emotions in check. He pressed a wet kiss to Severus’s skin before lifting his head.

            “Sorry.” He apologized as he cleared his throat. “I just didn’t think he had died.”

            Abigail closed her eyes tightly at the words. She didn’t want to hear his apology. She didn’t want to think of her father dead. She didn’t want any of this, didn’t want to be here at all.

            “How did you know him?” Abigail asked, with her eyes still closed tightly.

            Remus let out a giant breath. He really didn’t want to tell this story. Bernard wasn’t a happy time for him but he couldn’t deny her the right to know.

            “I first met your father fifteen years ago.” Remus began with a small smile. “I was traveling around the world in the hopes of finding a pack.”

            Severus arched his brows at the admittance. He had never known this.

            Remus looked down to his lap. “I was lonely. So lonely.” He whispered. “I didn’t have a pack of my own and just wanted to belong. I wanted a family.” He blinked rapidly at the tears he could feel stinging his eyes.

            Abigail opened her eyes and eyed Remus sadly. The pain in his voice was clearly heard and she ached for him. She had always had a family with her father so she couldn’t relate until now.

            “I had a cub that I viewed as family but I wasn’t allowed to see him.” Remus still resented the fact that he had been denied the right to see Harry. He looked to Abigail with a small smile.

            “Harry.” He whispered. He saw the sad looks being exchanged around the room but ignored them. “He was the only family I had left and he was taken somewhere that I didn’t know of.”

            Severus had always known that Remus had cared about Harry but he hadn’t realized that his lover had considered Harry like a cub. There was a bond between werewolf and cub that wasn’t meant to be taken away. If Remus had been denied the right to see Harry then that would have hurt Remus’s wolf greatly. It would explain why Remus had gone on a hunt for a pack. He would have been trying to fill a whole where Harry’s absence had left.

            Abigail let out a small whistle. She couldn’t imagine what that would have felt like. She had a connection to her father and she was already feeling the whole of her missing pack.

            “Your father was a scholar at the pack I was visiting.” Remus shook his head with a fond smile. “He was fascinated with the lives of werewolves. He wanted to write a book about his thoughts and discoveries. The pack there had granted him the permission to observe them for a few years.”

            This was news to Abigail. Her father had never told her that he had spent time with a werewolf pack. She furrowed her brows in thought.

            “He became one of my closest friends over the few years I had spent there. He was always excited to learn new things and ready to pitch a hand when in need. Bernard was a really great man.”

            There was a small part of Abigail that hated Remus for his easy way of using past tense descriptors. She wanted to scream that it wasn’t true, that he wasn’t dead yet. Past tense meant that his death would be an old chapter of a book. People are so ready to move on to the future. She didn’t want her father’s memory to be so quickly overlooked with past tense references.

            The next part of the story is where Remus was a little reluctant to admit. Especially with Severus here. He fidgeted with the edge of his lover’s robe until a warm hand engulfed his own and a firm squeeze had him melting at the show of support.

            “He loved me.” Remus whispered out, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “What you got to understand is that I was not in a good place mentally. I was having a hard time coming to grips with what I am.”

            Abigail could understand this. She wasn’t at a place where she could easily understand herself either. She was fascinated that his father loved Remus. She wondered what could have happened.

            “I was bitten so little and was still having a hard time accepting it all.” Remus let out a sad sigh. “My only friends had been killed and one was imprisoned.” He noticed the surprised wariness at the last bit and he smiled internally at that. Having a friend in Azkaban isn’t something most people will admit.

            “With me not being allowed to see Harry, I was so alone. The pack there was great, they just weren’t _my_ pack. They weren’t what I was looking for. I could feel it deep in my bones that I was not meant to be there for long.” He paused to see if she was still following.

            “The knowledge that I wasn’t going to find my pack there sent me into depression. I was so desperately wanting a home and a family but couldn’t find it. The depression made my already self-loathing that much stronger. It was a daily struggle just to get up every day. I wasn’t okay mentally.” Remus was having a hard time bearing himself for everyone.

            “Your father told me that he loved me.” He repeated again. There was another squeeze from Severus that had Remus melting. He looked up to see blatant curiosity coming from Abigail.

            “He wanted to have a relationship with me and he wanted me to settle down there with him.” Remus bit his lip.

            “But I wasn’t okay. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. When you hate yourself so strongly that you can’t even look in the mirror without cringing, you know there is a problem. I needed to come to grips with myself and I needed help. Professional help. That was not a time to begin a relationship. Love does not absolve everything. Love is not a miracle solution or the cure all potion. Bernard believed that since he loved me that that would be enough. It wasn’t. I needed to love myself first.” He took a deep breath as he pushed back the feelings of the past.

            “I needed to be okay with who I was as a person. Love sometimes just isn’t enough. His love for me was not enough to erase the hatred that I had for myself. I couldn’t knowingly enter a relationship with him under those kind of circumstances. That would have been cruel to him. It would have ended horribly if I stayed for his benefit and not my own.”

            There was a lot emotion in his voice. Despite the truth to Remus’s statement, Abigail couldn’t help but feel for what her father must have been going through. She couldn’t really form an opinion either way since all of this was out of her understanding.

            “I wish I could say that he understood. I wish that I could say that he took the news well.” Remus winced at the horrible fight they had. “He was angry and hurt. I can’t blame him for the rejection but I had hoped that he would get where I was coming from. I asked him to wait for me.” He admitted with blurry eyes. "It was wrong of me to ask but I did care for your father."

            Remus took a deep breath. “In the aftermath of our fight, he tried to hurt me by sleeping with someone else.” It had hurt at the time. It had hurt a lot but he didn't have any claim over Bernard. They weren't in a relationship.

            “There was a lady passing through the pack. She was in search of her own pack as well, just like me. Your father was in need of a distraction and a means of getting back at my rejection.” He paused, hoping he wouldn’t have to actually say this but by her confusion he knew he would have to.

            “Erm, your father only knew her that one night.” He winced at the shock on her face. “Well turns out that was all it took for her to become pregnant with you.”

            “Wait a minute.” Abigail interrupted firmly. “My mother wasn’t a werewolf.” She argued. “She was just a human like my father.”

            Remus sighed heavily as he looked to the ceiling. “That is where you are wrong. Your mother was an original werewolf.”

            Pansy and Blaise let out a low whistle. Original werewolves were rare and hunted. They looked at Abigail in a new light.

            Abigail sat there stunned. She wasn’t sure what to think. “What does that even make me? He told me I was bitten!” She never could remember actually being bitten. She had thought it was when she was four, that was when her mother took off. She just assumed it was because of that. “Who was the human that said she was my mother?” Because her mum was definitely human.

            This had been something Remus should not have had to tell her. This was something that Bernard was supposed to have done. Remus was cursing his old friend ten times over for making him be the one to have this discussion.

            “A lot of younger generations would call you a hybrid but that isn’t quite right.” Remus began with a shake of his head. “The only reason you are a werewolf is because your mother was an original. Original werewolves don’t usually procreate with humans. The werewolf council likes to dictate that only an original and another original are allowed to mate.” Remus shook his head at the stupid thought process.

            “Your mother broke werewolf laws by having you.” He could see the shock on her face and his heart was breaking for her. To have so much information thrusted upon you after facing a loss would be hard to swallow.

            “Originals are hunted.” Remus could tell by the way her eyes closed that she already knew what he was about to say. “Your mother was killed a couple months after she had you.”

            Abigail couldn’t take it. Her mind was fracturing under the knowledge that she had a mother who died. Someone who no doubt would have loved her just as much as her father had. She mourned the loss of never meeting her mother. Mourned the life the woman could’ve had. It was hard knowing that she had someone just to find out that they were dead too.

            “She loved you. So much.” Remus whispered. He may have only known her mother a few days but he knew that she would have loved Abigail.

            That was it. That was her heart breaking. Abigail felt the tears roll down her face. She lost a father and the knowledge of a mother all in one day.

            Pansy felt her eyes fill up. She couldn’t fathom any of this. She was having a hard time coming to grips with this. Why did the world have to be filled with such hate? She got up and walked to the small love seat the girl was sitting in. She sat down and raised a tentative hand. “Can I?” She asked softly.

            Abigail didn’t even think, she just threw herself at the girl. She didn't even know her but it didn’t matter. Someone knew what she was and still wanted to offer comfort. She soaked up the comfort like she needed to breathe.

            The tears soaking her robes broke Pansy’s heart. She ran a hand down Abigail’s hair and offered soothing noises of comfort. She just hoped that she was helping in some manner.

            When Abigail felt like she could control herself some, she gestured with her hand for Remus to continue. “Go on.” She whispered as she tilted her head to the side to watch the man.

            Remus didn’t want to continue. He wanted to end the conversation here and offer the girl comfort but he knew that if he stopped now, then he wouldn’t be able to finish.

            “I visited your father when you were close to two.” Remus choked out. "I was fairing much better. I was slowly beginning to love myself again and I had made leaps and bounds in seeing my wolf as something good. I knew it was too much to hope that Bernard would have waited for me but there was still hope. I... I t-thought-" He stopped talking to gain control over his emotions. The pain of walking to the door only to see Bernard with a child filled him again.

          "I didn't know that your mother had gotten pregnant when he slept with her. I thought it was just a means to get back at me." Remus whispered. He could still remember seeing Bernard's family and the vein attempts at trying not to imagine what it would have been like if Abigail had been his. The what ifs had haunted him for years. What if he had stayed? What if Bernard had waited?

           Remus shook his head to clear his sad thought. “You were such a happy baby. Always wanting to meet new people and laughing constantly.” Abigail smiled a little at the tone of his voice.

            “I stayed near the pack for about six months." Those moths had been so hard on him. To see Bernard happy without him had been a hard pill to swallow.

            “Your father was finishing up his novel. Things were looking up for him and he just adored you.” Remus smiled widely at the way Bernard treated Abigail. “He had been in a relationship with his editor a few months before I came back to town." That is when his smile fell and his eyes narrowed.

            “Myra did not have the same ideas when it came to werewolves.” Abigail startled at the sound of her ‘mothers’ name. “She was only the editor not the publisher so she had no say in the kind of books Bernard could release.” The way he worded that, let everyone know that if it had been up to Myra, that the book wouldn’t have been released.

            “She did not understand why your father was so interested in us. She didn’t want to be around anyone from the pack and she had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that you were a werewolf.” There was an apology in his voice but Abigail had already known that her mother hated the werewolf in her.

            “I don’t know how he got Myra to adopt you.” Remus said honestly. “I was completely surprised when Bernard told me this. I know he loved her but I thought that her having a hard time with werewolves would have been a giant red flag that she wasn’t the right choice for him.” He shrugged.

            “He told me that he wasn’t going to tell you about your real mother. He was going to just let you believe that Myra was your mother. I told him that was wrong. I told him that it was your right to know that you were born like this and not bitten. You deserved to be told the truth.” Remus closed his eyes at the fight they had.

            “He told me I wouldn’t understand because no pack wanted me.” Severus narrowed his eyes angrily and pulled Remus to him. “He told me that just because I couldn’t see my cub that didn’t mean it gave me the right to tell him what to do with his.”

            Severus knew it was wrong to think ill of the dead but he would have loved to curse the man.

            “Oh no.” Abigail whispered. She could see the renewed pain on Remus’s face and her heart was breaking.

            “I wasn’t trying to tell him what to do.” Remus promised her. “I just wanted him to think it through. I just wanted him to realize that it wasn’t just his feelings on the matter, that it was yours as well.” He closed his eyes tightly.

            “That was the last time that I saw him. That fight was the end of our friendship. I knew that he didn’t mean what he was saying but I also knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep a friendship with someone that would hide so much from their own child. I wish I would have kept contact with him. I would have tried to make him see reason.”

            “Don’t mistake any of this for what he was to you though.” Remus told her firmly. “He loved you so much. You were his whole world the moment he found out about you. His mistakes mean nothing when it comes to his love for you. What he did to me doesn’t matter. I don’t want you to see him differently than the good man that raised you.”

            Abigail could hear the begging in the tone and she had to marvel at the type of person Remus was. She wouldn’t be able to talk nicely about someone who had said things like that to her. Perhaps it was because she was still a kid.

            “Why did Myra leave?” It felt weird to call the person she thought was her mother by her first name.

            Remus flinched. “It was a scandal at the time because she ran away with the Junior Minister of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. It was rumored that the man would become a candidate for Minister of magic.”

            “Pardon me.” Severus interrupted with a slack jaw. “Are you talking about _Fudge_? Because he was Junior Minister of that department for many years.”

            Remus nodded with a wince. “The papers never mentioned Bernard or Abigail because he made sure during the adoption that Myra would never be able to tell anyone about Abigail’s status as a werewolf.”

            Abigail blinked rapidly from her spot on Pansy, who still had her arms around her. “My mother is the wife of the ex Minister?” She asked bitterly. Her mother had abandoned them to live with another man?

            “Did they have children?” She whispered. It would kill her if her ‘mother’ had given the love she had always craved to someone else.

            “No.” Remus shook his head. He could see the relief on her face and he felt sad that she had to find out all of this from him.

            “If the papers never mentioned Bernard then why was it a scandal?” Blaise spoke up for the first time in a while.

            “Because Fudge had been in a marriage contract with someone else.” Severus recalled with a smirk. “You don’t just break a contract for no reason. A lot of people claimed it was true love. They romanticized the whole thing and that is what I ultimately think won him the election.”

            Abigail frowned with the knowledge. She thought back to several books that she has read over the years. “Fudge’s opinion on creature rights changed when he took over as Minister. When he was still a junior, he had progressive mentalities. Do you think that was the influence of Myra?” It wouldn’t surprise her if it was.

            Severus and Remus shared a surprised look. The girl was smarter than they originally believed.

            “I think so.” Remus told her gently. Myra had been an absolute bitch to him the few times he had met her. It wouldn’t surprise him if Fudge changed his views to match hers.

            “This has been an eventful day.” Abigail whispered. She almost snorted at the understatement. “What do I do now?” She asked. “Where do I go?”

            Remus looked to Severus and shared a long look between the two of them. That was a good question. What were they supposed to do now?

            “Did you receive a Hogwarts letter?” Remus asked as he looked to back.

            “Yes but they don’t know that I am a werewolf.” Abigail said sadly. “We didn’t want to deceive anyone and my father said the knowledge couldn’t get out.”

            Severus hummed in thought. “The school itself can’t deny you entrance. If we can get you a new identity then the magic of the letter will change the name on it. You are still the same person, just with a new name.”

            “How are we going to do that?” Remus asked incredulously. If they involve the Ministry with a change of name then they will know that she is still alive.

            “Lucius.” Pansy, Blaise and Severus spoke as one like it was obvious.

            Remus shrugged sheepishly when he realized that the possibility hadn’t even entered his mind. It was a smart idea to have Lucius do it. The sneaky man probably could do something like this in his sleep.

            “We aren’t going to change her name because that would bring the validity of the death certificate into question. We are going to give her a new identity all together.” Severus explained patiently to Remus.

            Blaise shared a disgruntled look with Pansy. If that had been either of them, Severus would have talked to them with disdain and zero patience.

            “If we show the changed letter to Minerva and come up with an excuse as to why she wasn’t here on the first of September, then it will be easy to get her accepted into the school.”

            “I would suggest having her enter as a second year instead of a first year.” Blaise piped up. He looked a little nervous when Remus and Severus looked at him funny.

            “Why?” Remus and Severus said in interest.

            “Well, it’s just that if someone were to look into records and see that there was only one girl who didn’t answer a letter as a first year and then a few months later a girl who just happens to have a letter is now attending as a first year, it would make them think it was the same person. It just seems like too big of a coincidence.” He explained.

            Before Severus or Remus could respond, Pansy spoke up. “Yeah, but how many second years receive an acceptance letter? Wouldn’t that look suspicious?”

            “Not necessarily.” Severus argued. “If someone out of the country moves into England and is older than a first year, Hogwarts will send them a letter. It hasn’t happened in a few years but it has been known to happen. People move a lot and the school will accommodate people.”

            “We would have to let Minerva know that she is a werewolf.” Remus spoke up, silencing everyone.

            Abigail bit her lip in indecision. She wasn’t sure about this. Letting them know would be asking for trouble. But if she had a new identity then no one would know who she used to be.

            “She would be missing the full moon every month. That will raise suspicion from the teachers. They have to be told so that accommodations can be made.” Remus explained.

            “Do you think she will go for it?” Pansy was really asking if the prejudices of the school year would bleed into werewolves too.

            “She can’t say no.” Remus said with a growl. “It is against the law to say no.” He would fight her on that one. There was no way she would tell him that a child wouldn’t be able to enter the school just because they were a werewolf.

            “Jameson is going to have conniptions.” Severus mumbled with a shake of his head. The moron still couldn’t even look at his lover without freaking out.

            “That can’t be helped at the moment.” Remus remarked with a grimace. The teacher would have to get over it.

            “Williams is going to flip her lid.” Blaise pointed out. The bitch of a teacher was as prejudiced as they came.

            “Williams?” Abigail asked sitting up straight.

            Everyone blinked rapidly. “It is a popular last name.” Remus told her gently. “It isn’t Myra.” He promised. “Charlotte Williams is a teacher here, she is-”

            “My aunt.” Abigail breathed out in awe. “She is my aunt.”

            There was a stunned silence that broke out. No one quite knew what to say.

            Remus frowned. He had known that Bernard had a sister but Charlotte wasn’t her name. “I always thought that his sister’s name was Letty.” He groaned when he realized it was just a nickname.

            “I can’t believe she was related to your father.” Remus remarked with a wrinkled nose. “No disrespect but your aunt is…” He trailed off trying to find the right word.

            “Evil.” Pansy said.

            “Horrid.” Blaise retorted.

            “A bitch.” Said Abigail.

            All three of them stared at each other before smiling at the other insults. Severus marveled at the fact that the three of them could bond so quickly over a mutual dislike of a person.

            Remus stared at the girl in surprise. “I take it you aren’t close with your aunt.” He stated the obvious.

            “Merlin, no.” Abigail said with distaste. “Aunt Letty doesn’t like, well anybody.” She offered in an explanation. The snorts being heard let her know that they already knew this.

            “She came to visit a few times when I was younger but she was always saying rude things about me, about my father, about Myra. Everything. She was always giving out her unwanted opinions. I don’t think she knows I am a werewolf. She stopped coming a little before Myra left.” She paused in thought. “She never did say anything derogative about werewolves so I highly doubt she knew.”

            “That doesn’t surprise me.” Remus shook his head. “Bernard didn’t tell her about his work until after he was settled in. He had told me that his sister didn’t approve of werewolves and after the way Myra acted, I guarantee he didn’t want to tell his sister.”

            “Alright.” Severus began. “Then we have that going for us.”

            Remus shook his head. “You look like your father.” He told her with a slight smile. “If Charlotte wasn’t here then it wouldn’t be a big deal but you need a new look if you are going for a new name.”

            Abigail furrowed her brows as she thought about this. She wasn’t opposed to changing her appearance. It almost felt like doing this would be the first step towards a new life and a new her.

            “So Abigail will become a new student at Hogwarts.” Pansy clapped her hands in excitement. She was liking the girl already.

            Remus bit his lip. “For now.”

            Everyone, including Abigail frowned at him. “What do you mean?” Abigail asked. She was liking the idea of being in Hogwarts.

            “The problem will be the werewolf council. They know of your existence.” He said with a small frown. “You are unique amongst your kind and you are different in some way towards me. They will want you with them for a few years to make sure that you are getting the proper education into your abilities.”

            The questioning glance let him know that she had no idea what he was talking about. “You can change aspects of your body outside of the full moon.”

            Abigail blinked rapidly. “You mean you can’t?” She asked in surprise. “I just thought that was something every werewolf could do.”

            Remus shook his head with a chuckle. “No. That is something you can do, along with other things that Original werewolves can do. There is a lot of things that I can’t teach you when it comes to your heritage. You need someone who understands what your body is doing. You need a teacher in the ways of your abilities and that isn’t me.” He told her with a slight apology.

            “Do you know of any other werewolves that had one Original parent and one human parent?” Abigail asked with a frown. She rather liked Remus and didn’t want to go somewhere else.

            “I don’t.” Remus honestly answered. “Like I said earlier, it is rare for an Original to sleep with someone who isn’t one.”

            “But I can contact the council and ask them. I have some contacts that will keep things quiet. Until we find a solution, you can stay here.” He smiled at the happiness on her face. “But when we find you a teacher, you will need to spend your time with them and I can’t guarantee that they will be inside this country.”

            Abigail was a little disappointed but that was alright. She had spent her whole life thinking she would never get to see Hogwarts, so she would treasure any amount of time she got to spend here. 

            “Didn’t Harry say something about a werewolf friend he made in Singapore?” Severus asked. “He said something about the council to you, didn’t he?”

            Remus scrunched up his nose as he thought back to the conversation he had with his cub when Harry told him about the werewolf deaths. “He did mention that his friend was close to the council. I could always ask Harry more about it. Maybe I will send a letter.” He mused.

            “Oh, so you did eventually get to see your cub?” Abigail asked in interest.

            Remus smiled softly. “I sure did.” He was thankful for every moment that he got to spend with Harry. “You will meet him soon, he is on his honeymoon.” He felt a little pang of longing. He missed Harry and Draco.

            “Are they teachers too?” She wondered out loud.

            “No.” Pansy and Blaise snorted. “They are students our age.” Blaise gestured between him and Pansy.

            “Oh.” Abigail whispered with wide eyes. She thought that was a little young to get married but chose not to say anything. It wasn't her place to judge.

            Severus got up while everyone began talking. He looked through some of his potions. “You won’t be able to just wear a glamor charm. They fail constantly and need to be reapplied too often.” He told Abigail as he pulled out a few vials.

            “Now, it is up to you but I think you will need some of these.” He gestured to the vials. “A few are permanent.” He warned.

            “This one will change the pigment of your skin. It will just make you look like you have a tan but it is permanent. If you change your skin color then I do not believe I will be able to change it back.” Severus told her.

            Abigail’s eyes lit up. “I have always wanted to be tan.” She whispered looking down at her pale skin.

            Severus rolled his eyes. “You say that now but what if ten years later you decide that it was a rash decision you made as a child?” He wanted her to really think this through.

            Remus tilted his head to the side. “I have never heard of a potion like that.” His interest was piqued when his lover shifted uneasily.

            “I made it myself.” Severus admitted. “I had the idea while I was still in Hogwarts but never finished it until a few years after I graduated.” He wouldn’t look Remus in the eyes.

            “What gave you the idea when you-” He stopped talking when he realized that it was the bullying from James and Sirius. Severus’s appearance was always the number one thing they made fun of him for. It wasn’t just his hair or his nose. It was everything about Severus that they would bully him for. His heart broke a little at the thought that Severus must have resented himself that much to try and find a way to change his looks. He was seriously wishing his former friends were around so that he could rip them a new one.

            “If I had been in school when I finished it, I would’ve taken it to make that taunts stop.” Severus admitted quietly to Remus. “It wasn’t really the color they would tease me for. It was the paleness. My entire appearance was for their amusement and I wanted to find a way to change it.” He shook his head at the sadness in his lover’s eyes.

            “It’s alright.” He whispered. “Once I finished creating the potion I realized I didn’t want it. If I was going to change my appearance, it would be because I wanted to do it for me. Not because of what they said to me.”

            Abigail wasn’t sure if she should let them know that she could hear them. They should have put up a silencing charm. “What about these ones?” She asked, changing the subject.

            Severus startled a little at the interruption but he was grateful for it. He didn’t want to think about past bullies or his insecurities.

            “This one will change the style of your hair. It isn’t exactly permanent like the first one. It will stay in the type of style you choose until you change it later. You will have to let me know what kind of change you are going for and I can add the appropriate ingredients.” He ignored the calculating look Remus was giving him. He was done with admitting things for the day.

            He pulled out another bottle. “This one will change the color of your eyes. It is a random color, so not many people take this potion. It is also really hard to make. I had a few left over after sending a batch to St. Mungos. They have a cosmetology level for people altering their appearances. Ways that are more permanent than the typical means.” He wrinkled his nose at the memory of going there to drop off the potions. Some of the people had made outrageous changes to their person in the name of ‘beauty’.

            “I can’t change your height because you are still growing. If you were older then it would be safe to do so but you will still have growth spurts. If I tried to change it now, it could potentially stunt your growth and I am sure you don’t want to be this height forever.” He smiled at the aghast look on her face.

            “No.” Abigail squeaked out as she pushed that potion away.

            Severus pulled out the last potion a little warily. “I am little hesitant to give you this one.” He admitted. “It is dark.” He caught the surprised glances from everyone else. “I am worried that if someone did suspect who you are, then they would try and use your magical signature to test against your father’s records or your own.” All babies’ signatures are recorded down in the Ministry.

            “This potion will tweak your signature enough to not match any records on file. It isn’t dangerous to you or your magic it will just make you feel slightly off for the first few days. It will forever alter the signature.” He warned. “Kind of like if you took a puzzle and only changed one piece. It wouldn’t fit quite right and the puzzle would always be different than originally intended.” He explained.

            “Woah.” Abigail was a little impressed that Severus had something like this. She looked at his robes curiously and wondered just how many other potions the man had. She probably should have been worried about the darkness of the potion but it just fit so well with the guy’s personality. Abigail couldn’t help but admire his honesty about the whole thing. Better to be dark and own it than to lie about it behind fake smiles. She squinted at Severus and almost snorted at the realization that this man has probably never given a fake smile in his life.

            Abigail picked up the potion to change her skin, her hair, her eyes and her magical signature. She looked up at Severus with determination. “In ten years, I may or may not regret this decision but I will be thankful to be alive. The tradeoff is enough for me.” She told him firmly.

            The feel of a gaze had her turning to look at Remus. She could see the question in those amber eyes. “Don’t ask me if I am sure.” She begged. “I am doing this by my own choice.” She promised.

            With her decision made and the potions at her disposal, it wasn’t long before Abigail had a new look.

            Remus took in her new appearance a little bittersweetly. He was missing the subtle ways that she looked like his onetime friend. Her hair remained the same copper color but the highlights were changed to a dark red that surprisingly didn’t look artificial. The wild aspects of her hair had been intensified slightly. It almost reminded him of Harry in a few ways. The amber eyes were now a pretty hazel. Remus was pretty sure if she wasn’t a werewolf the eyes would have been a green but there is no way to fully hide the effect of a werewolf, which was causing the light brown underlays into the green. Severus had been right in saying her skin would appear to be tanned. She just looked like she had spent a significant amount of time out in the sun for the summer.

            “What do you think?” Pansy asked as she summoned a mirror.

            Abigail fought back the grimace as the potion to change her magical signature took effect. It felt like a horrible case of heartburn. When she looked up into the mirror, her breath left her in a whoosh. It was odd seeing her reflection but yet she looked different as well. There weren’t too many differences, if she was being honest. Besides the darker skin, she kind of looked the same. Although with a new identity and her changed magical signature, no one would make the connection. She doubted her aunt would be able to see much of her father in her. Abigail liked that she could still make out parts of herself in the new look.

            “I like it.” She replied honestly. “Not a whole lot has changed.”

            “I think you looked great either way.” Blaise told her with a small smile. He grinned when she blushed shyly.

            “Now what?” Pansy wondered as she looked to Severus and Remus.

            “Now, I contact Lucius and he can get someone to rush a new identity by tomorrow afternoon and then we go to Minerva.” Severus said a little warily. He wasn’t too sure how this was all going to turn out.

            Remus looked to the three of them as he stepped up to his partner. “All that will be handled tomorrow. For now, you three will go to bed.” He told them firmly.

            “Ahhh.” All three whined as one. They shared grins before performing puppy dog eyes at the two teachers.

            “You two.” Severus pointed at Pansy and Blaise. “Are way too old for that. Act your age.” He sneered when they just tried harder.

            “Alright.” Remus reluctantly began. “Abigail, you will be staying here.” He transfigured her chair into a bed. He then looked to the still begging teenagers. “I suppose you can stay with her.” Severus’s groan was drowned out by the cheers of three enthusiastic children. He refused to see Pansy and Blaise as anything else when they acted like that.

            “You are too soft on them.” Severus told him as they made their way towards their bedroom.

            “Perhaps.” Remus conceded. “But that is why I will be their favorite.” He teased as he opened the door to Teddy's room to make sure his baby was still sleeping.

            “Ahh.” Severus’s voice took on a wise tone. “Your evil master plan has been revealed.” He smirked.

            They both turned around to look at the three of them one last time before retiring for the night.

            “Have you ever built a fort?” Abigail asked Pansy and Blaise when she realized that she wasn't remotely tired and in dire need of something to do.

            “What’s that?” Blaise asked while Pansy shook her head.

            Abigail gasped dramatically. “Get all the blankets you can.” She demanded.

            Pansy quickly transfigured spare pieces of parchment into blankets and handed them to her. “We will build the best damn fort there ever was.” She told the younger girl when they started to organize it all.

            “Yes.” Abigail agreed. “Adults aren’t allowed.” She warned.

            Pansy and Blaise shared a look. “Define adult.” Blaise hedged.

            Abigail eyed the both of them in a calculating manner. “Alright. No mature adults allowed.” She corrected.

            Severus rolled his eyes when the two idiots cheered loudly. He closed the door with a snap and thanked magic heavily when he heard the sweet sound of nothing.

            As Remus laid on the bed and stared at the form of his lover talking to Lucius through the fire, he thought over everything that had been said today. Sometimes heartbreak leads to something better. The sound of Severus's sarcastic voice let him know that he had made the right decision all those years ago. He wouldn't change a single thing about the life he has built for himself. He knew that going forward was way more complicated than he had ever thought it would be, but later, when Severus lowered himself to the bed and pulled him into his arms, Remus realized that everything would be alright as long as he had Severus by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaaayyyy. 
> 
> The beginning is my favorite. I just couldn't stop chuckling. 
> 
> So there was some more insight to what was going on with Bernard and Abigail. I am torn between my feelings of Bernard. I think he was a great dad in many aspects and also a man who made many mistakes. I don't like anyone that can hurt my baby Remus. 
> 
> Speaking of Remus. I wanted to address some things. He made some comments about love not being a cure all. I agree with this. I am not implying that if you suffer from depression, that you shouldn't be in a relationship. That is not what I was going for. Remus was experiencing more than just depression. And when you hate yourself that badly, I do think it was right of him to ask for time. I think that him wanting to try to love himself first is admirable. Because sometimes love isn't enough. No matter how much you love someone, you can't make them love themselves. 
> 
> I would like to say that perhaps in another world or universe, Remus and Bernard might have been soulmates. That is a big might. Again, different world or universe. If the connection isn't there... it isn't there. 
> 
> It took a big leap of faith for Bernard to hope that Remus would take care of his kid. What if Remus wasn't the wonderful person that he is? you know what I mean? Irresponsible to just hope. 
> 
> Okay, I am going to say this and I really hope it wasn't necessary. A werewolf with one Original parent and the other one a human... doesn't that sound familiar??? Please don't make me give out more clues. 
> 
> I chose to make Charlotte the aunt because of reasons. lol. Those reasons won't be mentioned just yet. 
> 
> Myra. There was never a name given for the wife of Fudge and you know me, when the books don't go into details, I sure will. 
> 
> Abigail staying at Hogwarts. This isn't permanent. She will be moving on for other things in my story. But for now, she will be there. I can't say it is the best time to be experiencing the wonders of the castle. Any thoughts on what house they will put her in? I love listening to theories. Having her be a second year instead of a first seemed like a good idea to me. Extra protection from being found. 
> 
> I was iffy on changing her skin. I still am. I don't like it. Please understand that this is not a message. This is not me saying that I think it is something that should be done if you are displeased with the body that you were born in. This was a permanent tan given to her to protect her life and not because of cosmetic reasons. I am not implying that it is wrong to change aspects of yourself either. I guess just do what ever you want then. 
> 
> Thoughts? Let me know. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	13. In Sickness and in Health

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not questioning the burst of my writing mood. Lol. I will just roll with it. 
> 
> This chapter is about 5600 words. Not as long as the past few chapters but that is alright. Still a decent length. There aren't any warnings for this chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy.

            Harry was cursing magic, floo, America and everything else under the sun as he clutched his stomach tightly from his position on the floor. They had decided to use the international floo instead of apparating, to give them a break. That was a mistake. A huge mistake.

            The sounds of people nearby did nothing to deter him from wanting to stay right there on the ground until his stomach stopped heaving. He didn’t even care that his face was on the same surface that thousands of shoes walked on. The rolling of his stomach was making the thought of germs nonexistent. This had been the first time since entering the magical world that he wasn’t upset about falling right out of the floo. Vertical was not something that his body could do right now. Actually, there was a lot that he couldn't do. His face was sweating and it was getting harder to concentrate on things.

            Draco watched Harry moan on the floor with curiosity. He had never seen someone react like this before. When he had been a child he might have had a similar reaction but his father had taken him through several international Portkeys, floo and apparations. So his stomach wasn’t even upset. He frowned when the secondhand sickness and pain didn’t dissipate but actually increased. Draco could hear the whispers of people and the stares of nosy strangers. He ignored all this as he summoned a few potion vials from his bags. He swore when he didn’t have the one that he would need.

            With the pain still in the bond, Draco looked around the International Floo terminal quickly, hoping to spot anything of use. He spotted several useless plants that were for show on the information desk. That wouldn’t help anything. Just when he was about to give up and suggest that they visit a hospital, he spotted a plant on a stool near the back towards some fireplaces that were being worked on.

            “Excuse me.” Draco spoke to a few employees behind the information desk. He didn’t wait for them to reply. “Do you mind if I use a few berries from that plant back there?” It wasn’t what he was exactly looking for but it would do. He would have to be extremely careful.

            He watched impatiently as they turned to look at the plant in interest. “It won’t harm the plant, will it? That one is my favorite.” One of the girls spoke up.

            Draco paused as he stared at the girl with an incredulous brow. “Have you ever taken a Herbology class? Like ever?”

            The girl bristled. “Of course I have! That’s why I picked the plant. I always loved the way Dwayberries looked. I even give the muggle bakery down the road a few of the berries when they fall down naturally.”

            While the first girl was speaking, the second one had brought over the plant. Draco had been about to break off a few berries when he stopped and stared at the girl in aghast.

            “Why in the world would you do that?” He whispered in horror. “This is a Belladonna plant _not_ Dwayberry. Do know how poisonous these berries are?” Those poor muggles.

            “What?” The girl asked in fear. “What makes you say that? The lady in the greenhouse who sold me the plant swore it was a Dwayberry.”

            Draco snorted as he began clipping a few of the leaves off the berries. “Of course she would. The American Ministry has outlawed the use of Belladonna. The plant isn’t native to this country. They grow throughout Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. I am sure she charged you an arm and a leg for it too.” He noted as he summoned out a mortar and pestle from his potions kit.

            “She said that was because of how ripe the plant was.” The girl’s tone was angry, no doubt upset that she was tricked.

            “Dwayberry and Belladonna are in the same family as Nightshade. Their appearance does look similar. But even a Dwayberry in their prime wouldn’t cost you anything more than ten galleons.” Draco explained.

            The sound of retching drew several people’s attention towards Harry. Draco closed his eyes briefly, he didn’t need to turn around to see how sick Harry was getting.

            Harry waved his hand in the air to vanish the mess he made. He closed his eyes as he placed his head back down on the cool floor. His mind wasn’t all the way there. He just knew that he was somewhat comfortable like this and that was all that mattered.

            “This happens to a lot of first time travelers.” The second girl told him kindly. “It isn’t usually this bad though.”

            "What do you usually do for sick travelers?" He wondered as he got to work smashing two of the berries before placing them in a charm and setting them to the side.

            "Nothing." Both girls said at once. "It is not the responsibility of the International Magical Floo Network to be of assistance to drunk, sick, injured or delusional travelers." They no doubt recited a handbook.

            Draco sneered at them. "How kind of you." He was debating ever using the International Floo again. Especially not if they didn't care what happens to the travelers.

            “What is happening to the berries?” One of the girls asked.

            “I am fermenting them with the aid of a charm.” He thought it was common sense but he supposed that if they hadn’t realized they had a deadly plant in their midst that they wouldn’t know much about potions or Herbology. “It won’t be as effective as if I had let it ferment without magic but it will sufficient enough for this.”

            While the charm was doing what it was supposed to, Draco began to grind the leaves in the mortar. When they were a fine powder he added them to his base potion that he already had in a vial.

            Draco narrowed his eyes as he looked to his berries. When he was satisfied that they were sufficiently fermented he summoned a bottle of alcohol from Harry’s bag.

            “You can’t drink in here.” Someone behind him piped up.

            “I wasn’t planning on it.” He thought the ‘moron’ he left out was heavily implied. Honestly, did no one know potion skills around here? “I need to distill the berries into the alcohol.” He measured the right amount of alcohol it would take for the two berries and began the process.

            Draco sighed in relief when it appeared that the distilling process was going well. He used some of his magic to speed it up. The potion wouldn’t have earned him top marks if it was being judged but it would be enough to make Harry feel better.

            There was a few berries left over which was just perfect. Draco left the berries intact but took off a few of the seeds on their outer skin.

            “What do you need with the seeds?” Ripped off girl wondered.

            “The seeds are what makes the potion have the medicinal properties too it. The toxicity to the berries are heady when used in potions. If the maker is not careful, a Belladonna berry will make the potion curdle and become poisonous.”

            “Why couldn’t you just chop up the berries? Why did you have to ferment them and put them inside alcohol? Wouldn’t it have been quicker to just add them in?”

            Draco pinched the bridge of his nose as he added the seeds to his concoction. “Did you pass potions with a T?” There was no rancor in his question, just curiosity.

            “No.” The girl bristled again. “I will have you know that I passed with an Acceptable.”  

            “Really?” Draco was honestly surprised. Severus _never_ would have passed someone who would chop up Belladonna berries and just chuck them into a potion. He didn’t wait for a response before continuing. “If I had just chopped them up and put them inside my vial, my husband would be dead by tomorrow.” He answered honestly.

            There was an uncomfortable silence that followed his statement. He took the berries and slowly slid them inside his nearly done potion.

            “So then… those muggles…” The girl trailed off with a pained expression.

            “What part of poison don’t you understand?” Draco snapped. He knew he was being a little harsh but the girl was completely stupid. Sure, she didn’t intentionally poison people but it was her fault that there are most likely several dead muggles out there. Ignorance can’t be used as an excuse forever.

            “Oh no.”

             Draco was pleased to hear the sorrow in her voice. He was still wary of her though.

            “Nobody panic.” Draco warned before he placed the vial in a bubble charm and levitated it in the air. When no one said anything, he whispered a spell that was _technically_ illegal. It wasn’t something that should have been performed in polite society. It was a dark spell.

            Fire sprang up out of nothing from the inside of the bubble. He heard a gasp and knew that the spell had been recognized. That couldn’t be helped. He was worried about what Harry’s reaction would be. He was guessing angry. Draco could already feel the backlash of the spell hitting his body. It wasn't too bad. Just fatigue.

           "So are you like a Potions Master?" Slightly less moronic girl asked.

           "Something like that." Draco mumbled, not tearing his eyes off of the bubble.

            When he was positive the fire had sufficiently heated up the potion, Draco dispelled both the fire and the bubble charm. The potion vial fell neatly into his palm. The outside was hot, almost burning his hand but that was what he wanted to feel. That meant it was heated to the proper temperature.

            Draco turned around and his eyes widened at the crowd of people. It seemed that no one had left and everyone had stuck around to watch the show. He pushed through the watching bodies without a single nice word or an apology.

            Harry was feeling clammy and just weird. He had zero motivation to move. He just wanted to lie here and hope that his stomach would settle soon. Not even throwing up earlier had relieved anything.

            “Angel.” Draco whispered in Harry’s ear. “I need you to sit up a little bit so that I can give you this potion.”

            “Draco.” Harry croaked out, causing the blonde to smile.

            “Yes, it’s me.” He pushed up Harry’s sweaty hair so that he could press a kiss to the clammy skin. There were a few gasps but Draco didn’t pay any attention to them. The heat coming from Harry’s forehead when he had kissed him, let Draco know that a fever would be approaching soon if he didn’t give him the potion.

            The sound of Draco’s voice was breaking through the cobwebs that his mind had reflexed into. Harry felt like he couldn’t concentrate on much. The feel of Draco’s mouth on his skin was a wonderful distraction from the shitty aching of his body. He tried following that mouth so that he could feel more of the sweet kisses.

            Draco smiled sweetly at the way Harry was slowly following his mouth. “I promise you can have all the kisses you want if you sit up a little bit more and drink this. Can you do that for me love?” He grinned when he was able to maneuver Harry into a position where he could pour the liquid down the brunette’s throat. Draco was carrying the blunt of Harry’s weight but that was alright with him.

            Harry gagged a little bit at the taste of the liquid in his mouth but Draco had promised him more of those kisses if he drank it.

            “That’s it, Harry. Just a little bit more.” Draco praised as he ran his free hand along Harry’s cheek.

            When all of the potion was gone, Draco waved his hand and had the bottle going back into his potion kit. He pulled Harry more firmly onto him and settled his husband into his lap. He checked the time and counted down the minutes till it would kick in.

            “I don’t feel good.” Harry mumbled into Draco’s neck.

            “I know baby.” Draco whispered as he ran his fingers through wild hair. “Just a little bit longer and you will start to feel better.”

            “I love you.” Harry croaked out. “Even if the potion doesn’t do anything, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it.”

            The sweet words were almost Draco’s undoing. He placed his forehead on the top of Harry’s head, hiding his face. He could still feel the eyes of the nosy crowd but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to them. Harry was his concern right now. Not them.

            As the minutes ticked by, Harry’s brain started to get less hazy and he started to recall things. He remembered suggesting that they floo over here and he could recall Draco suggesting they just apparate instead. He remembered the way his stomach had started feeling awful halfway through the trip. He knew he had to remain still and not move while the floo process was going or else he could end up in some random fireplace. Not moving had proved _very_ difficult. They had been in there for what felt like hours. He hated it. Never again would they take an international floo.

            Harry had some fuzzy memories of throwing up. He thought he might have loved the feel of the dirty ground on his face… yeah… that he was not proud of. Nor was it something he would be mentioning to Lucius and Narcissa. He could just picture the horror on their faces. There was some hazy memories of Draco teaching people something. It sounded like a lesson but he couldn’t recall much of the words. The only thing that had really stuck out to him was when Draco was asking him to take a potion.

            The sick feelings and pain slowly began to ebb out of the bond, causing Draco to lift his head and stare down at Harry. He smiled when he could see green eyes shyly peering up at him.

            “Thank you.” Harry whispered before sitting up fully and kissing the daylights out of Draco.

            Draco let out a surprised huff of laugh against Harry’s lips as he tried to kiss back. “You are very welcome, angel.” He nuzzled the side of Harry’s face. “How are you feeling?”

            The worry would always make Harry’s stomach flutter in butterflies. “I am alright. Thanks to you.” He praised.

            Harry startled when cheering broke out across the terminal. He snapped his head up and jerked when he caught sight of so many people staring at them.

            “It’s Harry Potter.” Several people whispered out.

            That was enough to kickstart the both of them into action. They didn’t think anybody here was a threat, they just didn’t like that they were outed.

            “Then that must be Draco Malfoy.”

            Draco entwined their fingers and pulled Harry close to him as they made their way towards the exit, with their bags following behind. “Thank you for letting me use your plant.” Draco yelled over his shoulder at the two gobsmacked employees.

            As soon as they were out of the terminal and away from prying eyes, Draco pulled Harry to a bench that was near a park across the street.

            “Are you sure you are okay?” He worried as he looked over Harry’s body.

            Harry smiled softly at his lover. “I am alright. You can apparate us to the hotel.”

            “No.” Draco argued. “We need to wait a few more minutes to allow the potion to completely work through your system. Apparating could have a negative impact to what the potion will do.”

            “What kind of potion was it, anyways?” Harry wondered as he laid his head on Draco’s shoulder. He was surprised at how well he was feeling. He noticed that there was fatigue coming from Draco and he wondered if that was just from the long floo.

            It took a minute for Harry to realize that Draco hadn’t responded to his question. He lifted his head, only to narrow his eyes when Draco looked away from his eyes. “Draco.” He said in a demanding tone.  

            The tone of Harry’s voice made Draco cringe a little. “It was a simple potion. The only problem was the ingredients. We ran out of the ones that I needed and the only options in the room was a Belladonna plant.”     

            Harry tilted his head to the side as he thought over what Draco was telling him. “How did you work around the berries?” Because Harry was having a hard time seeing Draco just chop up the berries and throw them in. Only an idiot would do something like that.

            “I mashed the berries, fermented them and then distilled them.”

            Harry leaned away in surprise. “You did all that in the few minutes I was on the ground?” Draco had always been an impressive potions brewer but to do all that? Without the proper ingredients? It was a little mind blowing to him.

            The pride in Harry’s tone caused Draco to smile. “Yes. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” He admitted. "I already had a basic potion to start of with. Without that, it would have taken at least forty minutes to make. The only issue I had was with the fire.”

            This confused Harry. “Did the cauldron not work?” He narrowed his eyes when Draco winced.

            “Well you see, I didn’t use a cauldron.” He hedged, looking away again. “The only candles in the room weren't accessible for the public. Which meant that I wouldn’t be able to tap into them and I had to work quickly or you could have gotten worse. A cauldron was out of the question with the limited fire I was able to create.”

            “What do candles have to do with anything? Why didn’t you just use a fire at the bottom of the cauldron?” Harry wondered.

            Draco paused to blink at Harry rapidly. “Harry, where do you think the fire comes from when you use a wand to either spark a light or summon it forward with your magic?”

            “Erm.” Harry bit his lip. “I don’t know. I always thought it was just the spell.” He admitted. By the expression on Draco’s face, he knew that was not the case.

            “You can’t summon something without there being evidence of it around you.” He could see the confusion on Harry’s face. “Which means that I couldn’t use a spell to set a fire without fire already being in the room. Usually, candles are the way to do this. The spells tap into fire of the candle and allow you to siphon a small amount of it.”

            “What?” Harry had no idea what Draco was talking about. “What about in potions class? I used spells all the time to set a fire to put the cauldron on.”

            “Yes.” Draco began patiently. “ _But_ the room is littered with candles. Not because it is in the dungeons but because of all of the students that will be accessing the candles. If there is no fire inside the room then your magic will use part of your _own_ magic to make it happen.” He explained. “The reason Severus has so many candles in the room is so that the students who are lighting their fires have plenty of opportunities to make it happen.”

            “Wouldn’t that take the fire out of the candle?” Harry was so confused. Was Draco saying that every time he lit something on fire it was taking the fire from somewhere else?

            “No.” Draco shook his head. “The candles that are sold inside of apothecaries are designed to retain the fire once lit. They are specifically made to ensure that it will have a long shelf life when lit.”

            “The easiest way I can explain this is with an example. Say you are going all muggle and want to camp in the wilderness. I don’t know why you would want to but that is besides the point.” Draco shook his head to clear his distracted mind. “What happens if you try and summon food?”

            Harry thought back to when he _had_ camped with Ron and Hermione. “If there is no food around you then it won’t summon anything.”

            “Right.” Draco told him with a pleased grin. “When you summon something, it doesn’t have to be with an Accio. The spells that are taught to bring forth fire or even water, are a part of the summoning branch of magic. So if there is no fire in the room, then the magic has to come from somewhere.”

            Harry narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What is the first thing it will go to if there is no fire or water in the room?”

            “Your own magic.” Draco repeated with patience. “You experienced this already.” He pointed out.

            “What are you talking about?” Harry wondered with furrowed brows.

            “In the cave with Dumbledore.” Draco furrowed his brows. Did Harry not know?

            “You told me that you had tried using _Aguamenti_ to summon water after Dumbledore drank the potion.” Draco began. “The only water in there was filled with Inferi and twisted with magic. That wasn’t what you were summoning. The water outside of the cave was salt water, which wouldn’t have been what you were wanting either. So with nothing to summon, the spell was using your own magic.”

            Harry was thankful that Draco’s arms were around him because he was having a hard time with this.

            “But the water kept disappearing.” Harry pointed out. “Was that my magic making it do that?”

            Draco snorted. “No. That was definitely Voldemort’s doing. The way it kept disappearing were extra spells that he had on the cave. Hogwarts has the same spell on it for examination rooms. If you summon something while taking a written test, the item will automatically dispel. Voldemort would have found it funny to allow someone to summon in water but then make it disappear. Not to mention the more times you used the spell, the more times the spell would have directly taken it from your own magic. Making you weaker and giving him an advantage if his cave was ever discovered.”

            “This is a lot to take in.” Harry mumbled. He looked up when a thought came to him. “What about if you are drying something off?” He was thinking about how Dumbledore dried them both off after they had gotten to the entrance of the cave.

            “Same thing applies. The spell is using the natural air around you. I can’t say there would be many instances where summoning air wouldn’t work, unless there is no air. Which I highly doubt happens a lot.” When was there no air?

            Harry tilted his head to the side. “Is that what happened with the _Partales_?” He wondered. “When you created the bubble head charm?” He imagined that would have to fit into the summoning branch of magic too. “They were taking the air from us and around us, did you use your magic to give me air?” He knew that Draco had done something of the sort but he didn’t think it was as serious as it was turning out to be.

            “Well, I used some of your magic too.” Draco admitted. “I didn’t have enough to offer at the time.”

            Harry hummed in thought. He didn’t like the sound of that but they had already had that discussion. No point in hashing out an old argument.

            “What did you mean when you said the candles weren't open to the public? You can have private candles?" Harry got them back on track to the original conversation.

            “Some businesses don’t allow people to be able to draw off of their natural elements. So, the candles and the fire were off limits.”

            “Which means you allowed the fire to use your magic?” Harry assumed.

            Draco fidgeted slightly. “Well, sort of.” He whispered.

            Harry gently cupped Draco’s jaw and forced those pretty eyes to look at him. “Explain that for me.” He whispered just as quietly.

            Draco sighed before conceding. “With no fire in the room for me to draw off of, there was no saying how many times I would have to use my own magic when performing the spell. Magic isn’t always predictable. It could have summoned way too little, just what I needed, or too much. I didn’t want to take the risk on the off chance that it wasn’t enough.”

            “So what did you do?”

            “I performed sacrificial magic.”

            “You did what??” Harry nearly yelled out in surprise.

            Anger. Draco had known that Harry wouldn’t be too happy with him. “It was just a small amount.” He said it like it was no big deal.

            “That is beside the point!” Harry couldn’t believe Draco was treating this like it was nothing. “What is the difference between sacrificing magic and letting the fire use your own?”

            Draco sighed in resignation. “If I had just used my own magic, it would have been like using a high-powered spell. You might not even notice a difference unless you performed it several times.” He paused for a moment.

            “After time, the magic would come back. It is the same as if you stayed awake too long. Your mind kind of starts losing a little bit of itself in its sleepy state. But recuperates just fine with sleep. Depending on how many times the spell was used, I would say a few hours, it would put the magical reserves back to normal.” He shrugged.

            When Draco didn’t continue with his explanation, Harry glared at him.

            “Oh alright.” Draco grumbled. “What I did was different. I sacrificed some of my magic to ensure that I would get the exact amount of fire necessary. The magic was given freely in an exchange.” He paused. “Meaning that I won’t get it back.”

            There was a very uncomfortable silence that followed. Draco wasn’t sure what to make of it. He looked into Harry’s eyes trying to spot anything and also felt out the bond for any glaring emotions.

            “Draco.” Harry whispered. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have been alright in time. Worst case scenario, you could have taken me to a hospital. I don’t want you sacrificing your magic for me.” Harry would never be able to understand why Draco was always determined to sacrifice himself.

            “It wasn’t a lot of magic.” Draco repeated with begging eyes. “Honestly. It was just a teeny tiny sliver.” When Harry didn’t say anything, Draco continued.

           “Harry. My first instinct is to always protect you. If something is wrong, it is like I can’t think straight unless it is a solution to the problem. You were on the ground not able to move, barely able to talk and you were throwing up. If I had apparated you in your condition, it would have made you so much sicker. You should never apparate if you aren’t healthy. Apparating can take its toll on the body and I could have done more harm than good.” He ran a finger down Harry’s cheek.     

            “I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Draco knew that wasn’t what Harry wanted to hear but he refused to be sorry for taking care of Harry. He would _never_ be able to see Harry in pain and not do something. “It hurts me to see you in need.” He whispered, pressing his forehead against Harry’s.

            “Oh Draco.” Harry was torn. He couldn’t tell Draco to not do something with his own magic nor would he really want to dictate his husband. “I don’t like it.”

            “I know.” Draco retorted.

            “But I won’t ask you to stop.” Draco could tell how hard this was for Harry and he could understand it, he really could.

            “Thank you.” Draco pushed all the gratitude that he could into the bond.

            Harry closed his eyes and burrowed further into his lover’s lap. He loved the feeling of warm hands on him. It made him feel all tingly. “Do we have to leave?” He decided to leave behind the previous conversation. He just wanted to let it go.

            Draco chuckled at the reluctance in the bond. “We need to check into the hotel and then we have Disney World to visit.” He laughed at how quickly Harry perked up.

            “What are we waiting for?” Harry demanded to know as he stood up. Draco rolled his eyes but apparated them out of there.

            Harry let out a low whistle when he took in the appearance of the hotel lobby. “This looks expensive.” He remarked as he took in the gold plated… everything.    

            A loud snort drew his attention to another guest behind them. Harry noticed that Draco was busy checking them in, so he turned to the person in interest. A girl was sitting in a chair not too far from the counter.

            “That is because it is.” The girl was about his age, possibly older, she had short cropped red hair. It wasn’t red in a way that reminded him of the Weasley family. This red was blood red. It reminded him of the color of the Sorcerer’s Stone. He would never be able to look at the color the same way again. Just looking at the color sent his stomach churning. He smiled when he felt soothing emotions in the bond.

            The girl mistook the smile as one that was meant for her, if her flirty smile was anything to go by. “Some of the other wizard resorts here call this place prissy paradise.”

            Harry furrowed his brows. “I am not sure how that connects to it being expensive.”

            “Well, this place _is_ expensive. The wealthy wizards are the ones that stay here. Typically, purebloods.” There was a hint of mocking in her tone that had him frowning.

            “I am only here because my sister works over by the boat docking.” She made it clear that this was not somewhere she would ever be seen in.

            “What is wrong with purebloods?” Harry wondered with narrowed eyes.

            He watched the way the girl eyed him in a calculating manner. “I am guessing you aren’t a pureblood.” She mused. “Because if you were, you would’ve already known that this place was expensive.” She shook her head in frustration.

            “Purebloods are so backwards in their line of thinking. It is not the middle ages anymore. Who cares about blood status? Who cares if more muggle ideals enter society? I think the older traditions need to start dwindling out. The archaic beliefs are just so... ancient.”

            Harry wasn’t sure what to say to her that would be nice. He didn’t agree with what she was saying. He might agree slightly on the blood status. He would never be able to see a muggleborn and dislike them based off their blood. But he did think she was wrong about everything else. Hermione was a prime example. So was he. They _needed_ the pureblood ideals if they were going to keep their world the way it should be.

            “I take it you have a pureblood friend.” She was eyeing Draco in distaste. That was definitely the last straw for Harry. Anyone who could look at his soulmate like that was not someone he could ever see eye to eye with.

            “No.” Harry said firmly as he felt Draco walk up to him. When an arm wound around his waist, he smiled at her. “My husband is.”

            The look of disgust on her face had Draco wondering what the conversation was about. The only thing he had caught was the very end of Harry’s statement.

            “My mistake.” She retorted with visible unease. “I didn’t realize you were _gay_.” That was all she said before turning around and quickly walking away.

            “What they hell was that about?” Draco demanded.

            Harry shook his head sadly. “Proof of the downfall of wizard society. The muggle beliefs of two guys or girls together being seen as wrong.”

            “Oh.” Draco mumbled with a frown. He had no idea that the American wizards were taking a page out of the muggle’s books. He just assumed that things were relatively similar to what it was like back home. He hated the idea that what they had feared was already happening. Come ten or even twenty years, he worried that gay marriage would soon be outlawed.

            “It wasn’t just that.” Harry piped up. “She was also _very_ against purebloods. I imagine that there are a lot of people who think the same way.”

            “Huh.” Draco hummed. That was certainly new. He shook his head to get rid of the stupid American wizard ideals. He didn’t want to waste a single moment thinking about politics. “Let’s drop off our stuff in the room and then we can head out.”

            Draco snorted at Harry’s idea of dropping off their stuff. Before he had fully opened the door, Harry had stormed in and dropped their bags on the floor and was back out in the hallway before he could utter a single word.

            “Come on.” Harry whined as he pulled Draco back downstairs. “I want to see Disney World!” Draco shook his head at his enthusiastic lover and followed the brunette. He waved his hand in the air, locking their hotel room door.

            Neither one of them had noticed the window to their room had been left open.

 

* * *

 

 

           Sitting on the nightstand near the window of the nearly empty hotel room was a small pile of letters. The smallest envelope had a return address from Hogwarts. The largest envelope had a return address from the Ministry. The last letter had a return address from the Village of Snámh.

            A panting owl lay on the floor where it had fallen off in its bid to get to the recipient of the letter.

            “You did good, my dear.” A silky voice caused the owl’s eyes to spring open and the half dead bird to fly into the air in surprise.

            “I won’t harm you.” Came the voice that was lounging on the bed. “Unless you don't get out of here, that is.”

            The owl didn’t need to be told twice. Not even the sound of two flapping wings later, was the owl gone out the open window. Never to look back again.

            “Now, I just have to wait.” The intruder spoke to the room at large. “Not much longer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. 
> 
> You might be wondering why the beginning scene was implemented but it was important. There is a lesson in what Draco was teaching. 
> 
> As for the whole on the spot potion. That was actually my favorite part of the chapter. I think it is impressive that Draco could pull that off. Also, Belladonna IS a toxic plant. I came across the ingredient when I was looking at harry potter wiki. It intrigued me enough to research it some. I did tweak things on the plant but it was used as medicinal purposes a long time ago. 
> 
> The next chapter will be Disney World. I am undecided on quite how I will handle that. You know me, I will definitely be changing things around and showing other aspects. Disney World will not be viewed the same again. Lol. 
> 
> As for the American wizards and their views. I debated about how to go this route. I know a lot of my readers are from the states. I was as well until I moved. But America is not the most open minded. Especially when you consider the time period. I mean this was 1998. Not everyone was as accepting of things as they are now. I don't just mean for gay rights either. There is a lot of prejudice in the world, not just America. With how vocal America is in their loud opinions, I figured that this would be the county that would influence wizards the most when it comes to muggle ideas. Which isn't a good thing. I am not saying that prejudice did not exist in other countries, I just chose America because I felt like if there was going to be a country where the downfall of wizard society was happening, it would be the states. No offense to anyone. This was just the choice I made. 
> 
> Do you remember when Pansy said that muggle ideas would taint their traditions and it would make wizard ideas fall? That is what I was aiming for with America. England is on the same path just at a slower rate. 
> 
> I know that I called it the American Ministry. That is the incorrect title. I just don't like MACUSA. The Magical Congress of the United States of America. That is a fucking mouthful. 
> 
> Disney World is the final stop for the honeymoon! I am not saying that the next chapter is the last one before Hogwarts. Don't twist that. lol. It is just the last stop. 
> 
> So, we know who two of the letters are from. But any ideas on why the Ministry is sending them a letter?
> 
> Let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	14. Disney World Part One: Power-Drunk on the Wizard Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was going to put part one and part two in the same chapter but this one alone is 10k words. It would have taken me anywhere from 1-2 days to write part two, so I figured I would just split them into two parts. That way you guys have some kind of chapter to read. 
> 
> I would've had this chapter posted yesterday but I could only squeeze in 5k words in and that just wasn't enough for the chapter. So I had to wait until I could write more. If I could've wrote part one and two in one day I would have. Lol.
> 
> Hopefully you enjoy.

* * *

            A sense of awareness had Harry going into a standstill. He narrowed his eyes as he came to a stop in the middle of the walkway. They had just left the hotel but there was a buzzing of magic that startled him. It was so _alive_. Harry ignored the curious looks Draco was giving him and twisted his head left and right trying to figure it out. He wasn’t a sensor like Finneus had been so he wasn’t sure why he was detecting this magic.

            Harry closed his eyes as he tried feeling out the magic. Instinct was driving him to be careful. He wasn’t sure if this was a person, magical being or perhaps something else. It would have been rude to just force his magic into the unknown sorcery that was surrounding him. He tilted his head to the side when he realized it wasn’t just around him but it was around the entire area. Magic was crackling everywhere. He couldn’t quite see anything but he could feel it and it was empowering. Harry carefully pushed small slivers of power out, as if he was extending a finger to a handshake. It was a small way of making himself known but not in a way that would come across as pushy or unwelcoming.

            The longer Harry stood there, he began to retract his own small bursts he had emitted. He made his presence known, so there was no reason to keep his magic constantly active. Instead, he focused on the type of energy that was being released into the air. There was something special about it. He knew without a doubt that he had never in his life experienced something like this. The magic itself was of no harm but there was an underlying danger to the situation. The power was so rich and so vast that he knew he could lose himself in it all. Self-restraint was required if he was going to keep a level head. He had to remember that he had his own magic and that it was okay to admire the power but not to take it into his own. It wasn’t his and admiring for too much longer would break the reality of it being okay. Move on. His instincts were telling him to let it go and to take a mental step back from all of it.

            The only problem was that it was hard. In the face of so much magic that was readily available, how do you just walk away? It was almost too much to ask for. Could he really just step back and leave it all how it was? Was that even possible? Harry needed to shield it all away, he needed a barrier keeping the temptation away. As soon as he thought that, he pulled up the strongest shield that he could and hoped it would be enough. Almost instantly he felt his own senses come back to him. It was bittersweet. He was already missing the magic, already missing the way it made him feel. Missing the seduction of the power. It was making him feel a pang of longing. There was something addicting to the magic, something that gave him a rush. He wondered if this was what being high on drugs would resemble.

            Draco watched Harry with interest. What was happening? He wasn’t feeling anything too alarming in the bond. It was as if Harry was meeting someone for the first time. He could feel a politeness to him that only resembled first introductions. There was a small happiness to the bond, it wasn’t a happiness he would relate to when his husband is happy around himself. It was more like a happy satisfaction of seeing a favorite book or possibly favorite food. The intricate emotions were making Draco highly curious. He was not used to the depth he had to use to understand the exact emotion that Harry was releasing.

            When the longing hit the bond, Draco staggered. It was so _strong_. Again, he marveled at how much thought he had to put in to figuring out the depths of the emotion. It was a longing that he wasn’t used to feeling from Harry. Typically, when Harry feels longing it is sexual. There is also the longing of family or friends, that one was a popular emotion from Harry. But... this? This was different. This was longing for something you couldn’t have.

          There was so much that went into reading emotions. Sometimes it is several feelings wrapped into one that make up an emotion overall. The love of a significant other compared to the love of a family member are two separate feelings that make up the same emotion of love. It was almost a science to separating the strings of feelings to picking up the emotion. It was a challenge in its own rights. One that Draco always had fun figuring out.

            Draco frowned as he tried to understand the longing further. It was almost similar to the longing Harry feels when around Sirius’ painting. When Harry sometimes speaks to his godfather, there will be a longing of something you just can’t have. He furrowed his brows as he sighed in frustration. He couldn’t fathom what Harry could possibly be longing for right now. It wasn’t just longing either, there was a deeper-rooted sense of want. Some would say they are synonyms but Draco could _feel_ the differences. The want was entangled so deeply into the longing that it was almost impossible to tell the difference. Almost. It was making his head spin. He felt like he needed to sit down to gain his bearings.

            With another shift of emotions, Draco really did sit down. He abhorred the fact that he was doing something as plebian as sitting on the dirty asphalt but he couldn’t stop himself. The bond was too much. He never thought he would ever think something like that but it was the truth. The bond was emitting such power to the emotions that it was making his mind jolt every time Harry felt something else. He wanted it to stop, he wanted the bond to go away for just a few moments.

            The feelings were intensified and it didn’t feel as if it would be stopping anytime soon. Every small emotion was overpowered and felt like a punch to his gut. The emotions Harry was releasing weren’t small right now though. They were huge and powerful. Making it all erupt inside of him. He felt a flash of bittersweet sadness that stabbed him through the heart. Normally, something like that wouldn’t affect him but with everything being kicked into a higher gear, he felt the emotion as if it was a loss of limb. The sadness to the feeling sent his own emotions out of synch, causing his eyes to well up. The tears weren’t coming from an emotion inside of him but a secondhand overwhelming sadness in the bond. Draco wasn’t sure he could handle much more of this.

            Just when Draco thought it was never going to stop, the overwhelming emotions were gone. The sudden stark change would have brought him to his knees if he wasn’t already on the ground. He breathed out shakily, trying to control himself. The shock of going from so out of control to normal was messing with him. It was too sudden.

            Harry was finally able to gain control of himself. The shield had worked wonders. He could still tell that there was the unknown magic out there but he couldn’t detect it in the same way. When he turned to see Draco, he was startled at the emotions in the bond. He panicked at seeing his lover on the ground, clutching blonde hair and eyes filled with tears. He dropped to his knees and quickly pulled Draco into his arms.

            “Shh.” He wiped Draco’s eyes gently. “What’s wrong baby?” He tried looking over his soulmate’s body but it was difficult with the way Draco was clinging to him.

            Draco shuddered at the concern. If he concentrated, he could still remember the way the bond had been moments ago. It was still at the forefront of his mind. It was hard trying to distinguish between the memory and the reality of the present.

            Woah. Harry leaned back in surprise at the odd feelings in the bond. It was distant and the frequency felt off. As if he wasn’t actually experiencing Draco’s emotions. He was confused. If they weren’t Dracos, then whose were they?

            “Can you talk to me?” Harry whispered as he pressed soft kisses to the top of Draco’s head. “What has got you feeling like this? Your emotions are all over the place.”

            Draco snapped his head up with a weak glare. “ _My_ emotions?” His tone was of an outraged but dampened anger. “All that was coming from _you_.” He didn’t wait for a response, he just kept barreling forward. “Something was going on with you and it sent all of your emotions into some kind of overdrive. They were so intense and raw. I couldn’t take it.” He whispered a little brokenly. “It was the first time I had ever wished that the bond would just stop.” His anger bled out and he looked to Harry in worry.

            The guilt in the bond was heavy. Harry stared at Draco sadly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t _mean_ to have all that bleed into the bond.” There was a slightly exaggerated sniffle, which caused Harry to smile internally. Leave it to Draco to milk it for all it is worth. “Don’t feel guilty.” Harry begged.

            “But I was wishing the bond would just stop.” Draco couldn’t look Harry in the eyes. “It is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I was wishing it would go away.”

            Harry cupped Draco’s jaw and forced watery silver eyes to look at him. “It’s okay.” He promised. “I would probably have felt the same way. It wasn’t the bond you wanted to go away, not really. It was the overwhelming emotions.” He paused to place a chaste but sweet kiss to Draco’s lips. “I understand.”

            “What caused it all in the first place?” Draco wondered as he pushed past his feelings. He still wasn’t okay with wishing the bond away but he didn’t want to think about right now. He needed something else to distract himself.

            “I don’t know.” Harry began honestly as he pulled them both up into a standing position. He rolled his eyes when Draco placed two cleaning charms on them. One would have been fine.

            “I felt unknown magic.” He was busy trying to understand how to put into words to notice the way Draco had frozen. “It was… vast, Draco. I don’t know how to really describe it other than that.” He admitted. “It was intoxicating and felt like it would never end.”

            Draco snapped his head up and began looking around them. This wasn’t right. This shouldn’t be happening. There were protections set up all around the place to prevent this. Shield charms were activated and dampening spells along the perimeter. A shift. He couldn't believe it, a bloody shift. He ran his fingers through his hair in surprise.

            “Hey...” Harry trailed off at the panic in the bond. “What’s going on? Do you know what the magic is?”

            “It’s a ley line.” Draco explained. “Disney World was built on top of a ley line. What else could power the place? Not with so much going on, wizard and muggle alike.”

            Ley line. Harry had really only heard of it when Draco was explaining about the Lactera and how they like to covet ley lines and wild pockets of magic.

            “A ley line is a natural progression of magic. There really is no say in how long one will last or how much magic is there. It is too expansive for anyone to contain or control it all. That much untapped power is too raw. Natural magic isn’t like the magic of our cores. It is too wild. Too uncontrollable and highly dangerous if exposed to it at any great length of time.” He explained as he pulled on Harry’s hand and half ran towards the back of a wall. He had to get them out of the areas not under a shield charm.

            “Ley lines stay in one area but will shift periodically around the space of land. The magic isn’t quite sentient but it will move in stages. Some scholars suggest that it will shift during the seasons. There isn’t any proof of that though.”

            “What do you mean shift?” Harry wondered as he watched Draco walk up to the wall and place his hand on an odd-looking bump in the cement. He thought it was just a screw up when the cement was being placed but that was proven to be false when a section of the wall warped into a door.

            “I would compare it to a person who toss and turns in their sleep.” Draco shrugged as he opened the door. “It is like the ley line grows restless and just shifts slightly within the area.”

            That sounded a lot like it was sentient to Harry. Why would it move unless it wanted to? When they walked through the doorway, Harry felt a cleansing spell wash over him. It was a light one, not one that would take off charms but one that refreshes things. He furrowed his brows when he realized that the unknown magic was severely dampened once on the other side of the door. He looked around and realized that they were still outside just on the opposite side of the wall. He could see the shape of ticket booths in the distance.

            “The spells surrounding Disney World protect against the ley line. It is to ensure that the guests don’t experience any backlash.” He narrowed his eyes in anger. He was angry that the spells seemed to not go far enough if Harry had fallen victim to the ley line.

            “How come I could feel it but you couldn’t?” That was what was confusing Harry the most. “Shouldn’t we both have felt it? You only felt my emotions in abundance but not the power.”

            Draco sighed. “Not necessarily.” This would be easier to show than to explain. “Inside the perimeter there are areas where a limited amount of the ley line is accessible. Say there are fifty people there and all of them are attempting to access the magic, maybe one or two will be able to feel it. I am unsure why I couldn’t sense it. We do have the same magic.” He furrowed his brows in confusion. Perhaps if they still had separate magic, it would make sense that one of them might detect the ley line while the other couldn’t. But with them sharing magic, it just didn’t add up. 

            “But I didn’t try to access it, not really.” Harry mused. He had tried to figure out what it was, so maybe he _was_ accessing it. It wasn’t as if he _knew_ what was going to happen. “If there are protections, how come I still felt it?”

            Draco growled. “That is the thing. You shouldn’t have been able to. They have experts on ley lines in their employment that are constantly monitoring the magic of the ley line. They adjust the spells and charms accordingly. There should have been no reason that anyone should have been able to feel it that far out.”

            “Are ley lines bad?” Harry wondered as Draco’s words made him pause. Were all these protections really necessary?

            Draco wrinkled his forehead in thought. “Yes and no.” He mused. “They are amazing in the beauty of their existence. That much natural magic producing on its own? Amazing.” He explained. “But the problem is that the magic of a ley line wasn’t meant to be harnessed by humans. There are some Magical Beings that aren’t affected by the ley line but our bodies don’t have the capacity for the sheer amount of concentrated magic that is in the magic.”

            Harry arched his brows. “It is concentrated?” That would make sense. The magic seemed too powerful to him. It was something he had never come across. Even the darkness with the Sorcerer’s stone had felt like there was a limit to it. This magic had felt like it could go forever.

            “Mhm.” Draco hummed in agreement. He pulled out their tickets the closer they got to the lines. They were on the wizard side of Disney World, so the lines weren’t too long. “Which would explain why I was feeling the emotions to such a degree. Just a small amount would feel bigger than it should be.” He was mad at himself for not realizing it sooner.

            “What happens if someone tries to harness the magic?” Asked Harry. He was thankful that his instincts had him retreat before it could have gotten to anything of that level.

            “Power-drunk.” Draco shivered at the thought. “The body can’t take the power of the ley line and it causes people to go delirious. No doubt we will see evidence of it in a little bit.”

            “Muggles have power-drunk too.” Harry mused. “Only it is when the power goes to your head. Drunk on power.” He watched Draco hand over their tickets to an employee, he shivered when he felt magic leave an imprint on his body. He wanted to ask Draco about it but decided to wait until this conversation was over before bringing it up. He smiled when they were officially inside of the park.  

            “Wait.” Harry demanded. “What did you mean we will see evidence?” He didn’t like the sound of this at all.

            Draco waved his hand in the air, waiving away the concern. “Disney World is split into two worlds. Muggles only ever see the rides and the attraction. The wizard aspect to it is hidden. What we are entering right now is the wizard side. Wizards don’t come to Disney World for the muggle side or the rides. They come for the ley line.” Draco thought this was a little silly. Perhaps before Harry, he would be like the other wizards but his first time on a muggle rollercoaster was with Harry and he loved it. They would definitely be enjoying the muggle rides a little later.

            “I told you that Walter Disney was eccentric.” Draco reminded him of the conversation they had at the twins’ flat. “Some people would say crazy.” He admitted with a wry grin. “With the dangers of ley lines, why would he build an attraction for wizards and muggles here?” He led them toward what looked like the beginnings of a forest.  

            “What makes this place so special isn’t that it is just a ley line. It is the _only_ unclaimed ley line in the world. Not all ley lines are on land. The majority aren’t. Those ones are nearly _always_ claimed and used by Lactera or other magical water creatures that survive off of magical intake.” Draco decided to not get into an explanation of all the other creatures besides Lactera that ate magic as sustenance. It would take too long.

            “The ones on land have been fought over for centuries.” Draco raised his hand to clear away some of the branches away from his face. “Mainly Magical Beings have the rights to them. There are a few Centaur claimed lines, some Goblin, Dwarf, Vampire and surprisingly even house elf claimed ley lines. But it didn’t always used to be that way. There have been several wars over the years over the right to the ley lines. Incubi used to have a ley line but the Centaurs took over control about 90 years ago.” He scrunched up his nose as he tried to remember exact dates. He didn’t think of history as one of his strong suits.

            “The house elf ley line used to be a werewolf one but with the werewolf council being so poorly ran, it was easy for the house elves to take possession of it.”

            Harry was grinning widely at the thought of a little army of house elves kicking a bunch of werewolf arses in a fight. He knew it was probably a serious thing but he thought the idea of house elf soldiers as adorable.

            “There are a lot of Magical Beings that don’t get involved in ley line battles. Giants fight amongst themselves too strongly to ever really fight against other Magical Beings for long. There is also Trolls… well… don’t tell Jake and Blake this but Trolls are really thick.” Draco bit his lip a little guiltily. “Those two obviously aren’t but I can’t exactly speak for their fathers. Trolls wouldn’t be able to actively form a plan of attacking.”

            Harry hid a smirk as he considered Draco’s words. He wouldn’t tell Jake or Blake but he might hold the blackmail over his husband at a later date.

            “I imagine fights will kick back up over the ley lines in the future. They never stay under control of one set of Magical Beings for long.” Draco spoke up when he cleared his thoughts of Trolls and their lack of smarts.

            “Is there a wizard claimed ley line?” Harry wondered. He looked around the path they were on curiously. Where were they going?

            Draco shook his head. “Nope. A few wizards tried over the years but overcoming power-drunk is no easy feat. Not to mention it would mean fighting a race of Magical Beings. During the Goblin wars with wizards, there was a battle that was over a ley line. The building that now houses The Three Broomsticks, back in 1612 was used as headquarters for the Goblin resistance. A lot people say that battle was actually about there being a lack of Goblin representation in the Wizengamot. But that isn’t true. It was the one battle in Goblin history where they had allowed a select number of wizards to _join_ the battle on their side.” Draco had been about to continue but Harry held up a hand.

            “Why would they allow wizards into their side of the battle. That doesn’t sound like something the Goblins would do.” Harry shook his head at the notion. Goblins didn’t really like to associate with wizards outside of Gringotts.

            Draco grinned at the question. He loved teaching Harry things because the brunette actually retained the knowledge and legitimately wanted to learn. At Hogwarts, he was _always_ having to tutor someone. Being the leader wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. He abhorred tutoring because hardly anyone bothered to care what he had to say when it came to school work.

            “Typically, you would be right.” Draco conceded. “But the battle was over a ley line and even smart wizards _know_ they shouldn’t be messed with. There was a huge chunk of people that wanted to fight with the Goblins to protect the ley line. It wasn’t as if they believed the wizards would damage the ley line but it was a protection for the wizards who wanted to claim it. They all would have been lost to the effects of being power-drunk.”

            Harry tilted his head to the side as he ducked under a few branches. He could see a bunch of scurrying insects and he wondered what that was about. “So it was like wizards had a small revolution?”

            “You could say that.” Draco said with a small chuckle. “But it was only the one fight before it was once again wizards against Goblins. Only it wasn’t over the ley line anymore.”

            Harry made a thoughtful noise. “And what did you mean when you said this one was unclaimed?” He was having a hard time seeing Magical Beings letting this ley line go.

            “Walter Disney wanted a place where Wizards, Magical Beings, animals, Muggles and anything else could come without fighting. The ley line had been recently discovered around his time. For a lot of years people just thought it was a small pocket of wild magic. Which isn’t something anyone fights over since pockets of magic pop up all over the world and in great quantity.” Draco stopped walking and gestured for Harry to stop as well.

            “When Walter realized it was a ley line, he petitioned the American Ministry for the legal rights to the land and not the ley line.” Draco grinned wickedly. “It was so Slytherin of him.” There was pride to his voice.  “With the land being his, no one could get to the ley line to claim it without breaking Ministry law. He set it up so that _anyone_ could come here and enjoy the ley line if they wished or just to watch it from afar. There was no discrimination on who is allowed in. It remains an unclaimed ley line and is completely open to the public.”

            Harry was impressed. He could see the Slytherin aspects to the idea and he thought it was brilliant. A ley line claim didn’t seem to be worth anything if Magical Beings kept fighting for it. But to claim the land surrounding the ley line was a stroke of genius.

            “Not only that but he also made it possible to _charge_ people an entry fee.” Draco shook his head in a little awe. “I mean, the man was kooky but brilliant.”

            Harry snorted loudly. “You _would_ find charging people crazy amounts of money as something amazing.”

            “Duh.” Draco looked at Harry like he was crazy. “The man may have been kind but he wasn’t stupid. This place makes a fortune every single day.”

            Harry opened his mouth but a loud roar made him look around rapidly. “What was that?” He whispered as he huddled into Draco’s body.

            Draco snorted at the very un-Gryffindor reaction. “That Harry, was just the beginning of the wonders to a ley line.” Draco announced as he lifted the nearest branches and pushed past the rest of the trees.

            With the trees no longer obstructing their vision, Harry let out a little squawk of surprise at the sight below them.

            They were standing on the top of a hill, overlooking vast open land. Every part of the land was covered in grass and bright colored flowers. Some of them were definitely magical plants, while others were perfectly mundane. It wasn’t just the beautiful scenery that was attracting his attention. Everywhere he looked there were magical creatures; like Thestrals, Pixies and Crups. He spotted normal animals like lions, monkeys, and panthers.

            Harry wasn’t sure where he was supposed to look first. Every time he looked even just a few feet away, he spotted something new to look at. There were a lot of Magical Beings as well. He could see a few Goblins talking in a circle while also shooting suspicious looks towards a group of Vampires. There were Veelas in their bird forms and even a couple Trolls.

            “Woah.” Harry whispered when he spotted a couple Centaurs. He hadn’t seen any outside of the Forbidden forest. He furrowed his brows when he noticed that the Centaurs were conversing with house elves. Huh. He thought that would be an interesting conversation to listen in on.

            He took in all the animals in interest. “It’s like an open zoo with no glass windows or employees telling you not to touch anything.”

            Draco snorted at Harry’s words. “I am sure they would find that offensive.” He pointed out.   

            “I didn’t mean like that!” Harry protested. “I just mean that there is so much to look at and it reminds me of a zoo. Not that the Magical Beings are comparable to animals.” He tried explaining.

            Draco kissed the side of Harry’s head. “I know love. I was just teasing you.” He pulled on Harry’s hand and the slowly made their way down the hill towards the bottom.

            Before they could make it to the bottom, a sign burst out of the grass startling them both.

           “What’s it say?” Draco asked since it was closer to Harry.

            _“Entrance beyond this point is at your own risk. Upon handing in your ticket, all visitors entered a binding magical contract that ensures that any accidents, deaths or deformities will not reflect against Disney World or its cooperation counterparts. This ley line is unclaimed so therefore Disney World will not be held accountable for what happens while visitors are under the effects of the ley line’s magic. If medical attention is required it will be the responsibility of the visitors to pay for it. If death occurs it is the responsibility of the next of kin to take care of the body. Please read over the list of known animals and Magical Creatures that frequent this land, fright is not an excuse for a refund. If allergies of any wild plants or the fur of any animals will stop you from proceeding forward, refunds will not be given. Refunds of any kind are not permitted. Please read over safety guides that are free of charge at entrance to ensure the proper way to handle the wild life that Disney World is known for. Thank you for your continued service and tread carefully.”_

“Well…” Harry trailed off a little uncertainly. He was not reassured by the sign at all. He was feeling a little nervous about this. “I don’t remember seeing anything about a binding magical contract.”

            “That is because it was on the back in the fine print.” Draco retorted as they sidestepped the sign and entered the area that was under less protection charms. Harry honestly couldn’t remember seeing anything on the back of the tickets other than black lines that he thought were the cause of a printer. The writing must have been _tiny_.

            Harry made sure to keep his shield charm activated, he wasn’t take any chances that the magic of the ley line would get to him again. 

Once they reached the bottom, Harry noticed that there were other wizards as well. He missed them at his first glance. He furrowed his brows when he saw that some of them were huddled together sitting on the floor with quick quills out.

            “What are they doing?”

            Draco tore his gaze away from what he thought looked like a hybrid Centaur and Troll to see what Harry was talking about. “Those are the scholars that Disney World has employed. My guess is they are out here cataloguing the newest shift.” He grumbled a little upset that Harry had been subjected to the ley line when he shouldn’t have been. He was not feeling very friendly towards the scholars at the moment. Draco went back to watching the other visitors. He was happy to see a wide variety of people here.

            Harry was fascinated by them. They were in typical wizard robes but they weren’t behaving like normal wizards. The scholars were moving around in a circle now, it looked like to him that they were preparing a sacrifice or perhaps singing songs like people would around a camp fire. The whole scene was intriguing.

            Harry gasped when one of the scholars started seizing, which stopped the other scholars as well. His eyes widened when none of them lifted a hand to help. They just started furiously writing in their parchments and staring down at their coworker in fascination. “Why aren’t they helping him?”

            Draco hummed as he once again looked back to where Harry was gazing. “See the way his body is moving? That looks like he is seizing but really it is the excess magic of the ley line. It is a visible representation of what is happening to his insides. The magic is too strong for humans to take in.” He paused when the shaking body stopped moving. Harry looked at his husband incredulously. How could they just be calmly talking about the man? Shouldn’t they be trying to help him?

            “I don’t know if you can quite make it out from here but his eyes will be completely bloodshot and he will have tremors for a few hours after this. His speech will be disoriented and he will begin to grow delirious. That is just the beginning stages. If he doesn’t receive medical treatment soon then the shakes will morph into something worse and his body will actually start rejecting his own magic. But at the same time his core will try and take in _more_ of the wild magic in the ley line which will accelerate the corrosion of his own body. Because that is what wild magic will do to you if you can’t handle it all.”

Harry watched the poor guy shakily stand up and look down at his parchment. “Why are his coworkers not doing anything?”

            “Their job is to write down everything that happens and analyze it all. All of them were _trying_ to access the ley line. Remember earlier when I told you that even if fifty people tried to tap into the line that only a few would manage it?” He waited until Harry nodded his head.

           “That is what happened. Only that one was able to actually feel anything. So they are writing down a number of things from the time it took for the power-drunk symptoms to hit, how long it took stage one to stop, what kind of body shakes happened and even how they ley line was fairing during it. They catalogue it all. Even if he had gone into the second stage, they wouldn’t have done anything about it because they treat it all like a science experiment. The scholars for ley lines take their work seriously and they believe that their lives are expendable.” Draco shook his head at the intense wizards.

            Harry blinked rapidly. “So if I had interrupted?”

            Draco snorted loudly. “They would have taken it as a serious insult. You would have been interrupting the validity of their test results.”

            “You really know your stuff.” An impressed voice spoke up near them.

            Harry looked over to see a man in his mid-thirties, the guy had a business suit that stood out against the wizard robes of the rest of the people.

            “Thank you.” Draco spoke up, eyeing the man warily. He wasn’t sure about meeting anyone while inside the ley line area. Some people here are… not all the way there in the head.

            “Mark Etchings.” The man held out his hand.

            Draco arched his brows. “Lead researcher of the Wizards for Humanity Movement.” He noted, refusing to hold out his hand. He wouldn’t touch this man for any amount of galleons in the world.

            Harry watched the man in interest. It would seem that the guy wasn’t offended by Draco’s snub but the man didn’t know that there was hate bubbling up inside of the blonde. He wondered who this guy was.

            “That is me.” The pride in the man’s voice had Draco’s mouth curling in distaste. “But I am also the cofounder of the organization.”

            “Oh, I know.” Draco told him with narrowed eyes. “Your work has been plastered all over the world for the past ten years.”

            Mark grinned widely, completely unaware of the anger coming from Draco. “So our work has made it overseas? That is excellent. We have a tour coming up in a few weeks, we are trying to gain more followers in other countries. We would love to have someone as knowledgeable as you in our midst. It would really show other young adults that we know what we are talking about.”

            “Except that you don’t.” Draco retorted back. He smirked internally when the idiot _finally_ figured out that he was barking up the wrong tree.

            “Your organization is _exactly_ what is wrong with the world.” Draco spat out. “Magical Beings deserve the same freedom and rights as the rest of society. Your people think that only wizards are what make up humanity. You think that collaring and caging Magical Beings is okay. That would completely dehumanize them. That would set us back centuries in the progress that we have made in overcoming prejudice. For the life of me, I can’t fathom how _anyone_ could be so thick to believe in the shite your organization spews.”

            Harry folded his arms across his chest and settled in for a show, because he could tell that Draco was just getting started. He noticed that several Magical Beings paused in what they were doing to watch the argument between his husband and the other man. He could make out surprise in a lot of their expressions and some were looking at Etchings with anger.

            “I was eight years old the first time I saw a flyer from Wizards for Humanity. I had been in Diagon Alley when one of your members handed it to me with a smile. You want to know what I saw?” Draco rhetorically.

            “A Centaur being beheaded by a witch.” He growled out. “It was bloody and it was gory and it was _wrong_. Even as a little boy being influenced by society, I could see that no one should be treated like that. What kind of organization are you running where a _child_ is handed a flyer like that? What kind of organization are you running where you don’t see life in everything on this earth? Whether it is a Bowtruckle, a Magical Being or a wizard, they _deserve_ to be treated with respect.”

            “Excuse-” The man was cut off by Draco’s hand.

            “Oh no. I don’t want to hear what you have to say.” He told him with a shake of his head. “It is no doubt some idiotic excuse of wizards being at the top of the food chain. That is your usual argument when questioned.” Draco narrowed his eyes when he saw the guy’s eyes widen in surprise.    

            “You perceive wizards as the top of the food chain by your silly data and corrupt line of thinking. We are not at the top. We are not the strongest. We are actually _far_ weaker in comparison. Just because we have deluded ourselves into thinking that since we deny them rights, that that must mean we have jumped over the gap that separates us physically and magically, does not make it true. No matter what your people say, we will never be top of the food chain.” He paused to see if anything that he was saying was making it through the man’s thick skull. He sighed when the guy just looked angry.

            “Let’s just say that there was something out there that was undeniably stronger than us, and they decided that they wanted to trap, cage and kill wizards just because they can. What would you have to say about this? Wouldn’t you fight it? Wouldn’t you rebel? Why is it okay to put down the ones you perceive as beneath you? I just don’t understand the mentality that you place into your organization. Nor do I understand the sense of self-righteous importance that you place on wizard. We are not better than Magical Beings. There should be equality for everyone and I hope one day that everyone understands that.” Draco finished with a glare.

            Draco grabbed Harry’s hand and started to walk away from the guy. “Oh and in case you haven’t realized it, I refuse to be a part of any organization that has your beliefs. You come to England and I will organize a protest outside of _any_ place you hold a meeting.”

            “That was amazing.” Harry whispered into Draco’s ear the further away from the guy. “I didn’t even know there was an organization like that.” He could feel the lingering anger in the bond so he placed his hands on either side of Draco’s face and placed gentle kisses along pale skin.

            The tension left Draco’s body with each kiss, he smiled gratefully at his wonderful husband. “Unfortunately there is.” He shook his head sadly. “A lot of people across the world support it. Umbridge, for example.” He sneered her name distastefully.

            That honestly didn’t even surprise him. “I love that you spoke up.” Harry slid his hands down to wrap around Draco’s waist. He was proud of Draco.

            “So do we.”

            They both startled heavily before turning their heads to see that a huge group of Magical Beings had surrounded them. A tug of Draco’s trousers had him looking down into large eyes of several house elves.

            “We would like to thank you kind Sir.” The one who had tugged on his trousers squeaked out.

            Draco smiled before kneeling down till he was on their level. “You are welcome.” He said a little shyly. He wasn’t used to being thanked for just being himself. “What’s your name?”

            The elf’s eyes widened and let out a gasp. “Sir can call me Milly, ifs you like.” Her ears bobbled when she nodded her head. “No one has asked Milly’s name before.” She admitted with a whisper that carried around them all.

            “I think it is a beautiful name.” Draco told her kindly. He smiled when her eyes widened further and she looked away shyly. “I have a friend named Millie. She spells it differently but it is the same either way. Millicent.”

            Harry didn’t realize that Draco was actually friends with Millicent Bulstrode. He wondered if she was friendlier than she appeared. The girl had some muscles to her that he was not afraid to admit frightened him. He had seen the girl physically restrain people years older than her.

            “Sir is too kind.” Milly whispered. “If you is ever needing an elf please summon me. Milly will appear at once.” She tilted her head to the side as she regarded Draco curiously before looking to Harry.

            “You are not bound to an elf like Sir's friend.” She gestured to Harry. “But Milly is detecting lingering elf magic.” She peered at them in thought. “Are Sirs bonded beyond marriage?”

            Harry smiled at her and lifted his left hand to show her his torque. He grinned when the house elves gasped. He saw several ears twitch rapidly and he had to stop himself from cooing. There was just something about house elves that softened his heart.

            Milly reached out a hand and placed it on Draco’s head. _“Oh.”_ She gasped in delight. “Sir has found his mate for life.” There were gasps from all of the other Magical Beings around them.

            Draco figured that must have meant that they knew they were soulmates. He was impressed that the elf magic had been able to look past the dampening shield placed on their bond. “Milly.” Draco stage whispered. “Do you mind keeping that just between us?”

            Milly nodded her head so vehemently that her ears flopped all over the place. “Milly won’t tell a soul Sir.”

            “Neither will we.” A few Goblins said together.

            “Thank you.” Harry and Draco told them with small smiles. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust them, they just didn’t want word of their soulmate bond to get out.

            A Goblin in the front cleared his throat. “We are not one for gratitude.” His tone suggested that it was against all his moral codes to even be discussing kindness. “But we would like to express our pleasure for speaking out on our behalf.”

            Harry could feel Draco’s confusion for being thanked and it melted his insides. How could his lover not see how different he was compared to other wizards?

            Draco knew that he was not to respond the same way he had with the house elves or it would have offended them. “We won’t discuss this further.” He said in a less than kind tone. He smirked internally when they Goblins let out relieved sighs. He knew that it must have been torture for the Goblin to be nice.

            “Mister Malfoy, we will not breathe a word of your union with anyone either.” A Centaur spoke up.

            Draco blinked rapidly at the Centaur. He wasn’t even going to ask how they knew who he was. Centaurs were so similar to Luna in many ways. They were always the one Magical Being that he just didn’t understand no matter how he tried.

            “Mars was aligned with Venus this morning.” One of the other Centaurs added when they noticed his surprise.

            “Ahh.” Draco faked understanding. He honestly had no idea what the fuck that had to do with anything.

            Harry almost snorted at how well Draco could bullshit someone. He could feel Draco’s indignation at his humor and knew he would get it later. He just poked the bond back with more humor, letting his soulmate know that he was up for the challenge.

            “Mister Malfoy as in related to Lucius Malfoy?” Both a Goblin and a Vampire spoke up at the same time. Harry watched in amusement as the both of them shot distrustful looks at each other. As if they were blaming each other for saying the same thing.

            “Yes.” Draco said slowly. “That is my father.” He watched the Goblins straighten up and look at Draco with even more respect than they had previously. He rolled his eyes at that. What interested him was the way the Vampire seemed to be saddened by this.

            “How do you know him?” Draco wondered. It was impossible to tell how old the Vampire was really but his age on the outside appeared to be around twenty. The Vampire had long hair, it kind of reminded him of his father’s hair only it was black. The guy was almost as pale as Draco and he could see brown mixed in with red in the guy’s eyes.

            “Past relationship unfortunately.” There was a strong Russian accent that was reminding them of Peter.

            Harry and Draco looked to each other in shock before gaping at the man. “Pardon?” Draco was not proud of the squeak he released.

            A flash of fangs had Draco huffing when he released the guy was amused with him.

            “Afanas is my name.” He provided in the realization that he hadn’t introduced himself sooner. “Your father was visiting the Russian Ministry for political reasons when he was fresh out of school.” There was a small smile of remembrance. “I was not supposed to be in my homeland.” There was anger in his tone and Harry remembered that Peter said Russia had barred Vampires from entering the country.

            “He discovered me before I could get away. I thought he would turn me in but he let me stay with him for the night.” Another small smile. “One night turned into twenty. Before I knew it, he was extending his trip for me.”

            Draco couldn’t help but be hurt that his father never told him about this. It wasn’t that he cared that they had a relationship, it was the fact that it was with a man. Draco had gone his whole life thinking that he was the only one in the long line of the Malfoy family that was gay. It wasn’t as if he had thought his father wouldn’t accept him since the wizarding world accepted relationships between two men. Despite that, he still had felt alone. He didn’t know anyone who was gay besides Blaise and that wasn’t until their fourth year that his friend had admitted that.

            “I knew I would never be able to keep him.” Afanas wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. “I knew he had obligations in England. I knew that he was to be wed off into a pureblood contract. Lucius didn’t want to leave but wasn’t strong enough to give it all up for me. It was a nice dream while it lasted.” There was a regretful sigh.

            “He helped me out of the country a month later and I have never seen him since.” Afanas looked back to Draco with a sad smile.

            “You look a lot like him.” Draco shifted a little uneasily. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond to that.

            “Do you want me to let him know that we met?” He was kind of hoping the guy would say no. This would make an awkward conversation, one that he didn’t want to have. Especially not in front of his mother.

            “No.” Afanas responded firmly. “Sometimes the past should stay locked away.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you for what you said earlier.” There was a pause. “I must be going.” There was a crack in his voice but the next moment he was gone with the rest of the vampires.

            Harry rolled his eyes when the Goblins looked relieved at the Vampires departure. He wrapped his arms around Draco’s waist when he felt the turbulent emotions coming from his husband.

            Draco was having a hard time processing this. He wondered what his father’s life would have been like if he had told Abraxas to go to hell and lived his life with Afanas. Despite knowing that he wouldn’t have been born otherwise, he mourned for the life his father didn’t get to have. It was interesting how life can change when you live it how you want versus how others dictate it to you.

            Several odd grunts drew both of their attention towards three Trolls. Draco tilted his head to the side when they all just kept grunting at him. There was even some odd moans added in too. He had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

            “I am guessing that is their way of thanking me?” Draco raised his hands a little helplessly when the grunts picked back up.

            “Actually, they are saying that you should have left the guy for them. They wanted to beat him with their clubs.” An amused voice piped up.

            Draco turned to the hybrid Centaur and Troll that he had seen earlier. It was hard to tell but the hybrid appeared to be a teenager. They boy mainly resembled a Centaur but there were some Troll qualities to him as well. The hands and parts of his ears definitely resembled a Troll.

            “These are my parents.” The boy said, pointing to one of the Trolls in the back and the Centaur who had known his last name. When the boy looked back to them, he had an excited aura about him. “You are really interesting. I can sense that you both will-” He was cut off by several poundings of hoofs against the grass.

            “Chiron!” His father barked out. “You know better to give out the secrets of our ways.”

            Chiron whined low in his throat. “But father!” He protested. “I can see-” One look into his father’s eyes had the hybrid stopping.

            Harry startled when Chiron’s Troll parent started making noises in a fast-paced way towards the Centaur. He wasn’t sure if the Troll was female or not. He was surprised when Chiron’s father was responding in the same noises.

            Chiron looked to them with a shake of his head. “Sorry about them. They like to fight a lot.” He rolled his eyes. “My mother likes to think that I should be allowed to do whatever I want with my gifts but father is strict with the knowledge of the sky.”

            This Harry understood. He could remember the Centaurs in the Forbidden forest. He was fascinated by this pairing. He wondered what kind of relationship they had. He didn’t want to think too hard on it or it might gross him out in the end.

            There was a rustling behind them that had Draco turning around. He wasn’t too surprised to see Veela. He had spotted some earlier. But what did surprise him was that there were a few male Veela among the girls. Male Veela were rare. Even believed to be approaching extinction.

            Harry hadn’t really ever seen a full-blooded Veela up close. He had seen one in the forest of the Quidditch World Cup during the commotion of the deatheaters. Other than that he had seen some with the Omnioculars. He could spot a difference between them and Fleur. It reminded him of when he met Scarlet. She had a beauty to her that just wasn’t human. These Veela were too beautiful. Instead of enthralling him, it had the opposite effect. He could tell that there was something about them that wasn’t all the way there, which made their affects worthless on him.

            “We would like to offer our deepest appreciation.” One of the female Veelas told Draco with a _way_ too friendly smile. Harry narrowed his eyes at her. He was surprised to hear an Australian accent. That was not what he had been expecting.

            “It was no problem.” Draco told her politely while he ran a soothing hand down Harry’s hands that were still around him. He saw the way the Veela tracked the movement in what he thought might have been disappointment.

            The Veela nodded as one and excused themselves. Harry was a little surprised at the quick departure. Perhaps Veela aren’t big on conversation?

            “It was worth a try.” They heard the female Veela tell her companions as they disappeared behind a line of trees.

            Harry bristled at the implication that she had attempted to use her abilities on Draco.

            Draco turned around in Harry’s arms. “Let it go, angel.” He whispered before placing a kiss to Harry’s nose. “It didn’t work and I am completely yours.” He knew that would kick in a possessive side to the brunette.

            “Mine.” Harry reaffirmed firmly before capturing Draco’s kiss in a possessive and deep kiss. Draco moaned as his mouth was invaded by a thrusting tongue. He clung to Harry as he submitted to the kiss. He would have to get Harry possessive again when they had more privacy.

            Draco broke the kiss and panted lightly. “Mmm.” He murmured against Harry’s lips.

            “I almost wish I could take you right here.” Harry whispered before kissing Draco again. He almost felt drunk again, only instead of on the ley it was Draco. This was a drunk that he would never get tired of.

            “Oh Merlin.” Draco retorted before kissing Harry just as forcefully. “I’d let you.” He managed to get out in between fevered kisses. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. He was so not into voyeurism.

            The thought was really tempting but Harry knew that they wouldn’t want to get lost in each other in such a public place. He reluctantly broke away from the kiss. He smirked at the glazed eyes of his husband and kiss swollen lips. The sight alone made him want to either continue or take them back to the hotel. He had to force himself to look away. He jolted a little when he realized that all of the Magical Beings were gone. They must have left to give them privacy. He was a little sorry that he hadn’t had a chance to tell them goodbye.

            Draco glared at his husband. “You can’t tease me like that and not follow through.” He grumbled with a pout. A hand caressing his cheek made his mood shift. He nuzzled Harry’s hand.

            “I’m sorry. I promise you that I will follow through tonight.” Draco shivered at the want in the bond.

            “You better.” Draco warned. “Or I will…” He trailed off uncertainly. He wasn’t sure what kind of threat would be good. He was going to suggest holding off on sex but that was punishing himself too!

            Harry waited expectantly for whatever it was Draco was going to threaten him with.

            “I will make you volunteer at the quartet’s shop.” Draco finished with a smirk. He noticed the way Harry’s eyes widened in panic and his smirk turned to a slightly evil smirk.

            “You wouldn’t.” By the way Draco’s eyes lit up, Harry knew that his lover was dead serious. “Well it is a good thing that I won’t make you use the threat. I have every intention of following through.”

            “Good.” Draco said in a very haughty voice. He looked over and his eyes widened. “Baby, look!”

            Harry turned to see what Draco was so excited about. His breath left him in a whoosh.

            The field was filled with so many different flying insects. He could spot butterflies, fireflies and even colorful moths. There were quite a few that he didn’t recognize and knew that there was also some Magical Creatures mixed in.

            “You see those pretty ones flying around the butterflies?” Draco pointed off in the distance. “Muggles call that one a sunset moth but that’s not what it is.” Harry could make out an almost rainbow hue to the moth. “That is really a _Clarum._ They aren’t just colorful, they leave behind traces of magic that show up as color. Muggles can’t see the trail of color but it is beautiful. Legend says that if they ever go exstinct that the world will lose all color.” Draco shrugged. “No proof of that but it keeps their population alive.”

            Harry watched a _Clarum_ land on a tree before it flew away. He smiled at the bright yellow and red splat of color that was left behind. He was fascinated with them. He wondered where they were typically found.

            “Harry look at that butterfly closest to us.” Draco whispered. Harry did as he was asked and saw that it was a gorgeous red color with dark blue patterns. “Do you see the way the outer edges of the wings are brighter, almost reflective.”

            Now that Draco mentioned it, Harry could see that. He had just thought that the sun was glinting off the butterfly. “That isn’t a butterfly.” Draco said in excitement. “It’s a false creature.”

            “A what?” Harry asked incredulously.

            Draco smiled. “They are imposters. They can morph into any flying insect. Whether it be muggle or magical. There is no guessing what their original form looks like. Watch it closely, they don’t stay in the same form for long.”

            They watched the red butterfly for a few more minutes before it suddenly morphed into a blue dragonfly. “Woah.” Harry whispered in awe. “How did you know? Was it the edges of the wing?”

            “Mhm.” Draco nodded his head. “They can’t match the form perfectly and leave behind little key pieces that lead to identification. Some people think that the false creature must be fully reflective but I am not so sure. There just isn’t enough evidence to support that.”

            There was an odd shriek that startled several animals around them. Harry looked up only to shake his head when he caught sight of Cornish Pixies chasing some of the insects and playing around.

            “We should probably leave before they decide to mess with us.” Harry whispered. Draco thought back to their second year with the idiot Lockhart.

            “Good thinking.” They slowly edged away until they weren’t in the sights of the mischievous creatures.

            “Do you want to explore more of the ley line land? It goes on for miles.” Draco asked as he entwined their fingers.

            “What is the other option?”

            “We visit the muggle side.” Draco told him with a kiss to the cheek. He loved being able to show physical displays of affection. He knew that if they were to go to the muggle side that they would have to tone it down some since the muggles weren’t as accepting.

            Harry bit his lip in indecision. He really wanted to see the muggle side of Disney World but he also wanted to see more of his own world, things he didn’t know. He loved having Draco show him things and teach him aspects that he had never been taught before.

            “We can always come back to this area later tonight, if you want.” Draco offered when he felt warring emotions in the bond.

            With the offer in his mind, Harry nodded gratefully. “Okay, let’s go play muggle for a little bit.”

            “Woah.” Draco protested dramatically with his hands in the air. “No one said anything of the sort. I am not _playing_ muggle.” He sneered slightly. “I like to think of it as hiding in plain sight.”

            “I think you are splitting hairs.” Harry laughed when Draco’s hands flew to his hair in panic.

            “Not literally. It was an expression.”

            “For that, I think I am going to ignore you till we get there.” Draco looked away putting his nose in the air.

            “I always did like a challenge.” Harry warned as he thought of all the different ways he could get Draco to talk.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okkkayyyy.
> 
> I do like this chapter but I am curious of your reactions. There was A LOT of lessons in it. I don't mind Draco teaching Harry things. I prefer it. I just don't want it to get too much. The only problem is that Harry just doesn't know things like the ley line. Also where it comes to actual Magical Creatures, not Magical Beings, Hagrid was his teacher. And let's face it guys, Hagrid sucked balls at teaching. When you take in account of how I have set up my world, with the Ministry taking out things about Magical Creatures and Magical Beings, there aren't many opportunities for him to learn. I explained in the last instalment that a lot of the knowledge is passed from parent to child. So a lot of this stuff Harry would have to learn from an actual person. Who better than Draco? 
> 
> Wondering why the ley line really only reached out to Harry? Well keep wondering. I am not answering that just yet. I debated about it reaching out to Draco and not Harry but there are extenuating circumstances that led to that decision. No worries, I will have Draco be the next recipient of something later on. I'll figure it out. 
> 
> The ley line is not bad. Wizards are just dicks that think everything belongs to them. If they can not handle the power then they should stay away. 
> 
> I like the idea of essentially two worlds of Disney World. The side that muggles never know exists and the other side that wizards don't really go to. With the place being so magical, I needed a really strong sense of magic. Even if hundreds of wizards built the place, it just didn't seem realistic to me. So I thought of the ley line. Which I fucking love. Ley lines were mentioned in the last instalment so it isn't something I am just springing on you. 
> 
> Can I just say that I love my Walter Disney. Pretty smart and definitely with Slytherin tendencies.
> 
> Magical Beings being able to hold parts of the ley that wizards can't? Makes sense to me. There is just so much about Magical Beings that wizards don't know. Partly because they choose to think they are better. 
> 
> Speaking of thinking they are better. Etchings is someone to remember. I would like you guys to keep in mind just about everything that was said in this chapter. There are a lot of key things that will be brought up later and they play some kind of part to the story. 
> 
> House elves kicking werewolf ass? I would pay money to see that battle. 
> 
> So far in the past couple chapters, we have seen evidence of unrequited love, missed opportunities for love and unwanted obligations that separate love. I want to show so many different aspects to love other than Harry and Draco's happily ever after. I think that sometimes people idolize the kind of love that Harry and Draco have and forget that there is a lot of other kinds and not all of them end in happiness. 
> 
> The bit in the beginning with Draco deciphering the intricate depth to the emotions is something that I haven't really touched on before and that was unintended. Apologies. Emotions aren't as forthright as they might appear. When your heart is breaking for someone else and then for yourself, it is two different kinds. The question is having someone else feel it and being able to decipher it and tell the difference. That, I feel would be like a science to it. There would be so much that goes into figuring it out. Without Harry's words, Draco only had intuition to go off of. I wanted to give you a more of a complete picture to what they actually do when they feel each other's emotions. 
> 
> There was a reason that Etchings was there and that will be discussed at a later date. There is a reason I mentioned Milly, Chiron, and Afanas. All of that will be at a later date as well. 
> 
> Afanas means immortal. Chiron is actually the name of a Centaur in Greek Mythology. I tend to choose names for a specific reason. Other than Milly. That one is just because. ;P
> 
> The next chapter will be the end of Disney World. I will also tease you with the knowledge that you will FINALLY have 80% of what is happening with their stalker. Some worry that he is evil and some believe the opposite. Questions and no answers. Well the next chapter will finally tell you SOME of your questions. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	15. Disney World Part Two: Surprising Rides and Startling Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second time I have had to attempt to post this chapter. My computer crashed about thirty minutes ago, right before I was about to hit post. Irritates me because that means I have to redo my Author Notes. I guess the silver lining is that I didn't have to redo the chapter itself. Tell that to my irrational irritation though. The bitch just wants to vent. :P
> 
> I would like to apologize in advance if you were hoping to see a lot of Disney World. I have added rides and things of that nature but there is a lot that did not get added. This is what you got to deal with. *Shrugs* 
> 
> I would have posted this chapter earlier but I was having a hard time writing it. I just wanted to get to the drama and didn't want to write the shit before the drama. Lol. I was impatient. 
> 
> Also, there isn't any homophobia in the chapter but there is some questions that my boys get asked that approach the subject, kind of, not really. Now keep in mind that you might not find the questions offensive, but that does not mean that everyone is of the same opinion. What you find offensive, I might not and that is okay. We don't have to see eye to eye. 
> 
> Enjoy!

            Harry followed Draco towards what looked like a designated apparation point. There were people coming and going in frequent intervals.

            “Are we apparating into the muggle side?” Harry wondered.

            “Mhm.” Draco nodded as he grabbed hold on Harry’s hand. “There are several points throughout the muggle side that are set up for apparation points. Each point will take us to a spot that muggles think is an out of order bathroom.” Harry thought it was kind of smart. It wouldn't attract too much attention.

            “Why are there so many of them?”

            “Because wizards don’t like to walk longer than they have to.” Draco pointed out with a grin. “Nor will they want to take the muggle transportation that the park has set up. Not a lot of wizards even come over to this side. Usually it is the muggleborns or half-bloods.”

            “What is to stop someone from apparating in without paying?”

            Draco shook his head. “When you show the teller your tickets, your magic becomes imprinted. It will temporarily allow you to access the parks shields enough to apparate in or out. With your magic being imprinted, it will allow you to leave the park and come back later that same day. They change the frequency to the imprint daily. So, if you try to apparate in the next day _without_ getting the proper imprint, you get end up splinched or the wards will take you to a designated area that the American Aurors will take you in for questioning.” Draco figured most people would end up splinched and still taken in for questioning.

            “The Muggle side just stamps the people coming in. That way if they leave, they can just show the stamp and are let in.” Draco finished with a shrug.

            “I think I would rather have a stamp.” Harry admitted with a frown. He could just see many flaws with the wizard side. But he supposed the wizard side was dealing with the ley line and that was serious enough to need all the extra protection.

            Draco chuckled as the line went down and they were the next up. “So, the imprint allows us to use all of the apparation points that are spread out among the muggle side. Which is good because I don’t fancy walking all over. The place is huge.”

            Harry rolled his eyes at his lazy husband. “It wouldn’t be so bad. Plus we could always take some of the muggle transportation.”

            “Mmm.” Draco decided that was enough of an agreement. There was no way he was going to walk through the whole park. He might be willing to use muggle transportation if it was quick enough. He pulled on Harry’s hand when it was their turn.

            Harry only had a few seconds warning before Draco apparated them out of there.

            “Don’t even say it Harry.” Draco warned when they landed. “I didn’t surprise you that time.”

            Harry ignored his lover and looked around the apparation point in interest. It was out in the open, he could see all the visitors walking right by them without even looking in their direction. He almost wished he could see what they could when looking over here.   

            “Should we find a map?” Draco asked as they began to walk around. “We could always just explore the place without one.” He offered when Harry shrugged. Draco tightened his hold when it appeared that Harry was going to drop their hands.

            “I won’t hide our love because of homophobic twats.” Draco warned Harry. They were married and he wasn’t playing muggle or adopting their silly notions. He was proud to be Harry’s husband and nothing was going to make him hide that.

            Harry squeezed Draco’s hand in an apology and also in gratitude. He didn’t want to stop holding his husband’s hand either. He had just been worried about how people would take their relationship.

            “ _If You Had Wings_.” Draco recited the nearest ride to them. “Let’s check it out.” The line wasn’t too long which let them know that it probably wasn’t very popular.       

            “Think it shows what flying would be like?” Harry stated the obvious.

            Draco nodded his head. “Would be cooler if they showed muggles what riding on a broom is like, though.” His statement had two girls in front of them turning around.

            “That is interesting. Why a broom though?” One of the girls asked curiously. They both were a little younger than them. If Harry had to guess he would say maybe sixteen. One had short brown hair that barely made it past her jaw line, while the other one had long black hair that flowed to her waist.

            Harry laughed nervously as he shot Draco a look. “He was just joking. Bad sense of humor.” He smirked to his now offended husband.

            “I will have you know that I am the funniest person I know.” Draco declared with a haughty tone as he lifted his nose in the air.

            “Must not know too many funny people.” Teased Harry with a nudge to Draco’s shoulder.

            Draco opened his mouth to refute such nonsense but was interrupted by the girl with long hair.

            “You two are so adorable.” She gushed.

            They both looked at her curiously. “Thank you.” They said in unison, not really sure how to respond to that.

            “I think it is really cool that you are brave enough to show your relationship.” The girl with brown hair gestured to their entwined hands.

            Draco furrowed his brows. “Brave?” He asked with a frown. “I wouldn’t call it brave. We are a normal couple just like everyone else. We love each other just like everyone else. We want to be able to show our love just like everyone else. I wouldn’t call that brave. I would call that being normal. Nothing special to look at.” He just didn’t understand the mind of muggles. Why did they have to see non-heterosexual couples as something to be talked about? Why couldn’t they just be seen as a couple in general?

            Harry pulled Draco to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek before looking at the somewhat speechless girls. “Thank you, though.” He added. He knew they were just trying to be nice and that they just didn’t see what Draco was aiming for in his speech.

            “You look like you have something to say.” Draco told the one with black hair in amusement. She was twitching a little, as if she just couldn’t contain herself.

            “Sorry.” She apologized with a blush. “I just was curious about some things.” She waited till they gestured with their hands for her to continue.

            “Which one of you is like the girl in the relationship?”

            There was a silence between them before Harry and Draco shared incredulous looks. “What does that even mean?” Harry asked slowly as he tried processing it.

            “Neither of us are girls, that is kind of the point.” Draco added with a confused tilt to his head. “Unless you are asking about our sex life, which I don’t know you well enough to answer that question.” He said dryly. He smirked when they both spluttered and turned red.

            Harry wasn’t even going to attempt to reign the blonde in. Draco had a mouth on him and that was just a part of his husband’s personality. He really should be used to it by now. 

            “No!” The girl squeaked. “I just meant which one of you is the feminine one?”

            The question struck Draco as odd. “Define feminine. Is there a set way that we are to act? Feminine isn’t one set way. What you define as feminine is completely different what I might classify it as. I don’t really understand your question.” He admitted.

            “Also.” Harry piped up, not letting them say something. “If either of us were to behave in a way that would define us as feminine, you implied that would make one of us the girl in the relationship. Your thought process is eluding me. Does that mean that you are implying that the more ‘feminine’ one is somehow less in the relationship? We are equals in every sense of the word. What if we were both ‘feminine’? What does that mean to you then? What if we are masculine? Same thing applies there. What truly is masculinity? Just because we are gay does not mean that we aren’t masculine. Even if we were feminine, that still doesn’t mean we can’t be masculine. They aren’t mutually exclusive.”

            Draco nodded his head in agreement. “We are just ourselves. It is our personality and I don’t see what it has to do with anything in the end. The only personality traits that I think matter is what kind of person you are. My femininity or masculinity matters none to anyone else.”

            Harry wondered if there were more people who thought like this. It wasn’t that he was really upset with their questions. He just didn’t understand the mentality behind it. Was society really this inept with things they didn’t understand? Why was that a question to begin with? He wondered if this was just something these girls wondered or if homosexual couples all over were on the receiving end of questions like this.

            “Sorry.” The other girl apologized for her friend. “It’s just that we don’t really see guys like you. We are from a really small religious town. The population is barely 1,000 people. The last gay person in our town was a girl and she ended up running away to New York before her senior year. So, there is no one around that can really answer our questions.”

            “Guys like me.” Draco repeated slowly. He knew she wasn’t intentionally meaning to offend him but that is what was happening. “That implies that we are different only because we are gay.” He shook his head. “I am a normal guy who just happens to prefer my partner to have a dick and a tight arse.”

            Harry looked to the sky when the girls gasped at Draco’s blunt but crude language. No doubt the girls didn’t have much swearing either if their town was that religious.

            The one with short hair held up her hands. “Sorry. Alice and I are just curious. We don’t mean to offend you.”

            “We get that.” Harry told her with a sad smile. “Your intentions are alright, but even good intentions don’t help with insulting questions.”

            That was the end of the conversation after that, leaving the wait until the ride awkward and uncomfortable. The ride itself, Draco found interesting. He loved the different moving scenes. He would never really be able to get used to the ‘videos’ as Harry called them. They were like a painting but more intense and always changing.

            “I don’t feel like I am flying though.” Draco whispered too loudly. He could hear a few people shushing him but he tuned them out. “What’s the point of the ride if it didn’t make me feel what it was supposed to?”

            Harry tilted his head to the side. He didn’t feel like it was supposed to make him either. “Maybe that isn’t the point.” He suggested. “Maybe in the end it is showing a small measure of what it would be like to fly. Muggles don’t know how it feels like to fly other than in planes. Maybe the deeper message is imagination. They are using the limited knowledge they have and emulating it into something bigger.”

            Draco blinked rapidly. “I think you analyzed this on a deeper level than they did. I think they just put this together in a rush. But I like your thoughts on it way more than I do the actual ride.” They looked at each other before laughing out loud. More shushing and even grumbled complaints followed the sound of their laughter but neither cared.

            On the way out Draco said, “I think your job for the rest of the day is to over analyze the rides and give me your deeper thoughts on them.” The challenge in the bond had Harry readily agreeing.

            “So where to now?” Draco asked as they walked a little distance away.

            “Let’s go there!” The excitement in Harry’s voice had Draco immediately wanting to go wherever it was just to keep that happiness in the bond. He looked over to see a bunch of younger children running in and out of an older building. “Penny Arcade.” He wrinkled his nose. “Isn’t a penny nearly worthless? So are they insinuating that the place is cheap?”

            Harry snorted before pulling Draco inside. He had _always_ wanted to do things like this when he had been younger and could see things on the telly when Dudley was out. This was just a part of his childhood that he didn’t get.

            Once inside, Draco had to admit that he was intrigued. Games. It was muggle games and some children were even arguing over them. He waited for Harry to exchange muggle money for the coins to play.

            Draco walked up to a game that had the word, ‘Electricity’ in all caps. He tilted his head to the side as he tried recalling what that meant. It was something that made the bulbs light up. He noticed that someone had left a few coins on top of the machine.

            Curiosity can be the devil in disguise, Draco later figured out.

            Draco read over the instructions after depositing the coin. There were two rods that he was to place his hands on. He hummed as he waited patiently for whatever was going to happen. He could feel Harry returning, he didn’t even have to turn around to know that his husband was behind him.

            “Draco, I don’t think-” Harry was cut off by Draco’s surprised yell of horror.

            Draco jumped away in surprise when a bolt of energy shocked into his hands. “They bloody thing attacked me.” He told Harry angrily. He wanted to blast the thing apart with his magic.

            They were attracting a lot of attention but Harry was finding the whole thing funny. He saw the anger flashing in silver eyes and knew he wouldn’t have time to explain himself if he didn’t hurry.

            “Baby, it was supposed to do that.” Harry assured him as he looked over the machine. “It is supposed to simulate what electricity feels like.”

            Draco curled his mouth in distaste as he stared at the stupid machine. “Why would anyone _want_ to go through that? I didn’t like it, at all. I don’t want anything to do with electricity.”

            Harry pulled Draco into his arms and tried to calm down his overreacting lover. “You don’t have to do it again.” Harry pointed out. “You can just watch me with some of the machines, if you want.” He felt Draco’s nod and slowly released the blonde.

            “I think I will just watch you.” Draco decided as he looked at the games warily.

            They spent a little while inside the arcade. Draco was having fun watching Harry. He knew that he wouldn’t be having nearly as fun as Harry if he was the one playing the games. The muggle machines were not something that appealed to him. But the happiness Harry was emitting was everything he could ask for.

            While Harry was distracted playing some muggle sport game on a machine, Draco noticed a glass container that they had missed on their way in. He frowned when he realized it was a horrible impression of what he guessed was supposed to be Divination. The fake lady inside the glass dealt in cards which wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities, he just felt like the whole thing was cheapening true Divination. Not that Professor Trelawney wasn’t already doing that with every class she taught.

            He walked back to Harry and grabbed a couple of the muggle coins. He placed one of them inside the machine and watched the lady come to life. Draco was a little disturbed with the mechanics of the woman. It wasn’t life like enough for him. It was kind of creepy. There was a grinding noise and a little ding that had him looking down. A space below the area he put in the coin now had a piece of what looked like white parchment, well it was pretty small for parchment. Did muggles rip parchment into small pieces? He pushed aside his thoughts and picked it up. It was thicker than he thought it would be.

 

**Esmeralda’s Prophecies**

_Born under a very lucky star, your disposition, naturally darker than light, has been made uneven by the selfish and self-righteous people you have met. Your life until recently, has made you unhappy and has been full of trouble, for which others are largely responsible. You are now reaching a point where you will be able to by your own efforts, control your own affairs instead of others controlling you. You have a natural affinity for business, which you will need to cultivate, for you will have the need to look after big business affairs fairly soon._

_A marriage early in life will be based on passion, a calm but even affection, never ending understanding and will result in unwavering happiness. Be aware of proposals made by those who are in disguise, they may appear as if they speak the truth but they really only deal in lies. Friends can be acceptable when they delve deeper into what makes up your life and candidly chose to be there. Beware of dark friends, especially ladies, who only wish to be there on the surface and don’t care about what happens below._

_Your life will be long and the last of your days will be your happiest. Time is irrelevant when life will always continue forward. The end isn’t really the end and things are never as they appear._

**_One of your lucky numbers is 16._ **

**Drop another coin in the slot and I will tell you more.**

_(Printed in U.S.A)_

Draco stared at the small piece of parchment for longer than necessary. All previous thoughts of awful divination were thrown out the window. His mind was reeling with some of the things printed. The mentions of an unhappy life previously and an early marriage were in the forefront of his mind. He looked back to the muggle machine and narrowed his eyes when the fake woman winked at him. Was there more to this device than he originally thought? Had Disney placed actual Divination aspects to the machine? Was there magic in this? He tried sending out magic but frowned when there was a block of some kind. It almost reminded him of occlumency. What was going on?

            “Love?” Draco snapped his gaze over to see Harry standing next to him with green eyes littered in concern. How long had Harry been there? Had he been so distracted that he didn’t even feel his husband?

            Harry had felt annoyance in the bond and worried it was because of him, when he had finished his game he looked for Draco and realized it was over a machine. By the time he got there, Draco was reading a piece of card stock from a fortune telling machine. He had waited patiently for the blonde to finish reading but staggering waves of shock had come from the bond.

            Draco handed the piece of parchment over to Harry and waited for his lover to read it over.

            Hmm. Harry wasn’t sure about the fortune. It being a muggle machine made him want to discount the similarities to Draco’s life. But there is only so many coincidences one can take before suspicion enters the mind.

            “I feel a barrier when I try putting magic into the machine.” Draco whispered as he looked around to make sure that no one could hear him.

            This intrigued Harry greatly. He attempted to place magic in the machine just as Draco had and felt more of a wall than a barrier. At least that is how it felt to him. Everyone perceives magic differently and his mind wasn’t sure what was really happening here. It was odd. The only obvious conclusion was that this machine was not as muggle as they had thought. There wasn’t any definitive proof of magic _in_ the machine but there was definitely some kind of magic _surrounding_ it.

            “I feel something blocking me as well.” Harry mused out loud. He shrugged before placing his own coin into the machine. It couldn’t hurt. He handed the card back to Draco as he pulled out his own.

 

**Esmeralda’s Prophecies**

_You were born under a star that should have made your life a pathway of roses, it has not been so due to circumstances that were out of your control but carefully contracted by others seeing fit to use you. Lessons aren’t meant to end in happiness, they are meant to teach where one went wrong and learn that errors don’t have to repeat itself. Friends are a lesson to which you have recently learned won’t always be there in the finale. People you once trusted are not real friends but mock your trusting nature, only to use you for selfish means. If you want to remain happy, you must get wise and embody your other half’s suspicious candor._

_The time is soon coming for you to make your mark in life. For you to be known for things of your own choosing and not for the things you have no say in. Improve the chance of life for not just yourself but for the world around you. Beware of a man with dark hair, who deals in material wealth and seeks only for himself. He is false to the core and will prove to be nothing but trouble._

_Later in life, you will be more fortunate and acquire everything you have longed for. Your family will grow and your marriage will transcend into new heights. Despite the problems you face now, it will get better, it will be worth it. Face issues head on with the knowledge that you will always overcome any obstacle. Things are not as they appear and hidden messages are perceived in everything._

**_One of your lucky numbers is 16._ **

**Drop another coin in the slot and I will tell you more.**

_(Printed in U.S.A.)_

            Harry blinked rapidly at his own fortune. He wordlessly handed it over to his curious husband as he tried thinking it all over. There was specific wording to his life that made it nearly impossible that this wasn’t meant for him. Whatever was going on with this machine was definitely dealing in real predictions. It just had to be.

            The fortune had Draco’s brows rising and his eyes narrowing. He looked back to the machine and growled when it winked at him again. The intervals in the wink weren’t time kept. It was like it was bloody mocking him.

“What do you suppose it all means?” Harry asked a little nervously.

            The nerves were too out of control for Draco to not reach over and put his arms around Harry’s waist. He laid his head on Harry’s shoulder as he pulled his lover close.

            “Divination is never clear cut. So much is left to interpretation. What you don’t see is almost as important as what you do see. Predicting the future is hard because it is _always_ changing. Every single choice you make in life has an effect on your future. The past can be tapped into and changed with magic, but never the future. Time isn’t as fluid as some like to believe. It isn’t something as straightforward as we would like. What was once your lot in life five minutes ago will not necessarily continue to be your future going forward.”

            With just the one statement, Harry had already learned more from Draco than he _ever_ had with Trelawney. The odd woman had really only taught him not leave tea cups around Neville if he wanted them to remain intact, don’t look at soggy tea leaves, dreams have dying message in them and the grim is around every corner.

            “Take an hour for example.” Draco continued. “It takes only minutes to make a decision. Potentially, you could make sixty separate decisions in one hour that affect your future. That is ambitious but for the sake of the example it will suit its purpose. Some of those decisions could overlap, some of them could be related, some could be completely parallel but never entwine and some can negate previous choices. With just the one hour, you could have changed your future in ways that can’t be predicted. I am not implying you _can’t_ have a fortune. I am just saying that the fortune won’t necessarily be true a few minutes later, let alone an hour.” Draco paused to see if Harry was understanding him so far.

            “So what does it all mean?” Draco repeated Harry’s question. “It doesn’t _have_ to mean anything. Not really. Because tomorrow, this prediction might not even be relatable to our lives. At the same time, it _could_ be a prediction tomorrow or further down the road. The future is just so unpredictable that I can’t give you a straight answer. So in the end, my answer is, I don’t know. I don’t know what it all means but that is alright with me.” Draco shrugged. “I am okay with not knowing the future because it will just change on me anyways.”

“Wow.” Harry breathed. He had never really given the future this much thought before. Divination had been such a complete joke in Hogwarts that he ignored that there might actually be legitimate means of predicting the future. Discounting Trelawney's two right predictions. He was still suspicious of those. If predicting the future was as hard as Draco was making it out to be, he wondered if Trelawney just couldn’t keep up with it. Perhaps she _was_ predicting it to the best of her abilities and it just was changing too rapidly to mean something. He couldn’t deny she was a horrid teacher but that didn’t necessarily mean she was completely brainless to the subject.

            “Trelawney never mentioned things like this.” Harry whispered. “Well to be fair, I tuned her out most of the time. I might have missed lessons like this completely.”

            Draco snorted. “You didn’t miss any lessons like this because she didn’t teach the older forms of Divination. New age mentality isn’t just something the muggleborns bring to society. Wizards evolve as well and Divination just isn’t something people believe in anymore. A lot of people in that field wanted to stay relevant and keep people’s attention. They changed the way they went about predicting the future.”

            “Hmm.” Harry hummed in thought. Divination changing did make sense to him. It reminded him of how Alchemy stopped being relevant when potions took played a bigger role in the daily lives of wizards across the globe. “Did your father have you learn the older ways of Divination? So that the old ways didn’t die out?”

            “Merlin, no.” Draco breathed out with a snort of laughter. “He would have killed me if he knew that I was wasting valuable time on ‘frivolous hogwash that any delirious house elf could spit out’.” The tone of his voice was a spot on impression of his father. If Harry hadn’t known that Lucius was back in England, he might have looked around for the aristocrat.

            Draco could feel the curiosity in the bond. “With my life not being my own choosing, I was interested in predicting the future because it would have been the one thing I could control.” He admitted with a shrug. “It wasn’t until after I really looked into it, that I realized I would never be able to really predict the future. So I chalked it up as a loss and studied other things.”

            The simple way Draco said it, made Harry’s heart clench. He wished he could have made his lover’s childhood better. It was sad that Draco felt so out of control of his life that he had resorted to trying to gain just one instance where he felt like he was his own person.

            The emotions in the bond caused Draco to pause. He smiled sadly before turning to place a gentle kiss to Harry’s lips. “You can’t change my past any more than either of us can predict the future. You didn’t have a good childhood either.” Draco pointed out. “Our lives have defined who we are and I would live it again to end up right here with you.”

            “Ew.” A child’s voice interrupted their moment.

            They looked down to see a little boy and girl looking at them with wrinkled noses. They both looked to be about six or seven. Before they could speak up the little boy pointed at Harry.

            “You can’t let him kiss you.” The girl nodded a long dramatically.

            “Why is that?” Harry wondered a little warily. He was never sure what to expect with kids. They could be carbon copies of their parents' personal and political beliefs. If their parents were against homosexuality then he worried these kids might be as well.

            “My nana says that you should only kiss your spouse.” The boy whispered loudly. Way too loudly to be considered a whisper. A group of children inside the arcade heard the statement and all clambered around them in an attempt to watch what Harry and Draco might say. Their faces were of enthusiasm, as if they were hoping for drama. They were bloody sharks looking for a kill. Whoever said children were angels, clearly never met children who wanted to watch the world burn.

            Harry looked down at the boy with humor. “Well then it is a good thing that he is my spouse.” There were a few gasps heard and the attention was now on the boy.

            The boy fidgeted slightly as he looked to the girl next to him for help.

            “Really?” The girl asked skeptically. “Do you have proof?”

            Draco snorted before holding out his left hand and showing them his wedding ring. “See that?” He told them as he grabbed Harry’s hand and showed off the ring on his lover’s finger. “We _are_ married.”

            The boy grumbled too low for them to hear. “I _guess_ it is alright then.” He begrudgingly conceded. “But you could get cooties though.” He offered as a last ditch effort to keep them from kissing.

            “Nu uh!” A boy in the back yelled out. “Only girls have cooties.”

            This statement was not met well with the girls inside the arcade. Soon every boy was pitted against an angry girl. Yelling ensued and Harry had to wonder where in the world their parents were.

            “I do not want to get caught in the crossfires of a fight like this.” Draco told Harry with a wry grin. He had no idea what a cootie was but it had to be something only children believed in. At least Harry's amusement seemed to be proof of this.

            “You know.” Harry spoke up, getting the attention of the fighting children all arguing over who _really_ has cooties. “If you really like the person, you overlook their cooties.”

            Draco let out a barking laugh when every single child looked at Harry with disgust and disbelief.

            Harry huffed. “No really.” He pushed. “Draco has plenty of cooties.” That stopped the laughing blonde. Harry stuck his tongue out at his offended husband. “But I happen to not care because that is what you do in a marriage. You accept the person as they are. Cooties included.”

            A huge chunk of the children had contemplative looks on their faces. Some still looked at Harry as if he had grown a second head.

            “Kind of like how my mom doesn’t want my dad to stay out all night but loves him anyways?” One of the kids asked.

            “Erm.” Harry said uncomfortably. “Not exactly.” He finally said when the kid just kept looking at him expectantly.

            “Do you _really_ love each other?” The original little girl asked curiously.

            Draco grinned down at her. “We sure do.” He told her before kissing Harry’s cheek. His grin grew broader when they all released a chorus of ‘ew’ and ‘gross!’

            “My daddy said that two boys or two girls together is evil like the devil.” A boy near the front piped up. “But…” He trailed off in confusion. “You seem really nice.” He said with a blush.

            Draco nearly growled at the reminder that muggles needed a new line of thinking. He knew it wasn’t the kid’s fault that his father thought like this, so he wasn’t going to give the lecture that was bubbling on his tongue. He looked to Harry, asking him silently to take over the conversation. Children couldn’t handle his sharp tongue most of the time.

            The questions in the boy’s eyes had Harry sighing heavily. This wasn’t something he wanted to talk about, especially not to someone else’s kid. It wasn’t his job to teach a child that wasn’t his about equality.

            “I would like to think that we are nice.” He paused to smirk at Draco. “Well at least I am.” He grinned when Draco smacked his hand playfully. “When you think of one day getting married, does it matter who you are married to as long as you are happy?” He asked them. “I don’t want you to think of a specific person, just imagine the life that you want. Think of your dream job. Whether that be a fireman, teacher, dancer, singer, actor, scientist, city worker, policeman, or even the President.” He spotted a few grins amongst the kids and knew that at least some of their dream jobs had been mentioned.

            “With your job in mind, think of a hard day at work or even just a difficult day in general. You won’t always have your parents there to comfort you because you will be old enough to live on your own and deal with any problems that happen on your own. Instead of a parent at home, you could have a boyfriend, girlfriend or you could be married. They will be the one who is there for you. At the end of the day, does it really matter whether it is a boy or a girl who is comforting you? Does the gender matter when it comes to the love another person holds for you? As long as you are happy, then does it matter?” Harry looked to Draco with a soft smile.

            “He comforts me when I am in need and he brings me happiness on a daily basis. I love him just as much as any couple could love their significant other.” He looked back to the kids. “Does it really matter that we are both boys?” He asked.

            “No.” They all chorused loudly. Some even shook their heads. Harry grinned widely. Adults could sneer at them all they wanted, they could spew their misguided notions and homophobic ideals all they wanted. One reminder of this moment would make him smile. The easy acceptance of so many children was a wonderful feeling. The world needed more people who thought like these kids… cooties aside. Children just had an innocent way of believing things.

            Draco smiled at the kids who were looking at them in a new light. He checked the time discreetly. He told them all that they would have to leave if they wanted to check out all the other rides.

            Harry bade them all goodbye and pulled Draco in his arms in excitement. He was just happy to have some muggle support, even if it was from children.

            “I want to be married like them.” A girl’s voice barely made it to them as they walked away. Neither one of them could hear the responses of the other kids but it was enough for them.

            A vendor nearby had a bunch of maps sitting out.

            “There is a water park.” Harry mumbled as he looked over the map.

            Draco wrinkled his nose. “I don’t fancy getting wet. What about you?” Harry could tell by Draco’s tone that if he wanted to go, that his husband would do it anyways, despite not wanting to. He smiled softly as he shook his head.

            “No, I don’t want to get wet either.” Harry felt relief in the bond and he rolled his eyes in response.

            “I doubt you want to go to the sport complex.” Harry remarked as he continued to look over the map. He didn’t even have to look up to know that Draco had a look of distaste on the handsome face.

            “No.” Draco admitted. “I don’t.”

            “What about Space Mountain?” Harry had randomly pointed to a spot on the map.

            Draco tilted his head to the side. “Why not. I am intrigued about the name enough to check it out.” He looked to the map over Harry’s shoulder. “Ooo.” He said in excitement. “It’s not far from here.”

            It took a second for Harry to realize that the lazy sod meant it wasn’t too far to walk. He looked to Draco and noticed the amusement in silver eyes. “I am going to smack you with something by the end of the day, I just know it.”

            Draco let out a freeing laugh. “More spousal abuse?” He mocked with a shake of his head. “What would my mother say?” He teased.

            The question had Harry grinning. “She would probably encourage it again.” He pointed out, remembering when Narcissa agreed with Harry over not joking about Draco’s death.

            The pout from coming Draco was utterly adorable and he couldn’t help but coo. The scowl he got in response still wasn’t enough to make him stop thinking of the blonde as adorable.

            “Let’s just hope the line isn’t long.” Draco told them the closer they got. “ _That’s_ Space Mountain?” He looked to the weird white dome shaped thing with pointy parts in curiosity.

            “Erm.” Harry checked the map again before nodding. “That is what the map says.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe the inside is better than the outside.”

            Draco smirked. “Is this another one of your deeper analogies? Am I supposed to not judge something until I see the bigger picture?”

            “Exactly.” Harry retorted with a smile, he tilted his head trying to come up with a deeper thought on the ride. “Life is just like that building.” He began with an amused grin. “It may look massive and ugly till you get closer to an enlightening phase. As you get older, you start to appreciate the flaws of your life and then you can truly enjoy the ride of the ever-changing chaos that makes up our lives.” He totally bullshitted the entire speech.

            Draco let out guffaws of laughter. “You are too much.” He shook his head with a smile. “That was beautiful.” He teased. “Almost poetic.”

            “What can I say?” Harry retorted with a faux cocky attitude. “I am just that good.”

            Draco rolled his eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.” He warned. He would have said more but he caught sight of the long line. “Fuck me. We are going to be here forever.” He grumbled.

            “That is _definitely_ tempting.” Harry leered in lust but mainly it was a tease. He grinned when Draco shoved him playfully.

            “Now who is the horny one? Don’t take my role, what will I be if you become the horny one?” Draco teased back.

            “The undeniably drop dead gorgeous one.”

            Despite the fact that they were joking, Draco could feel the sincerity in Harry’s statement. They were already in line, so he turned to his husband and nuzzled Harry’s cheek. “Love you.” He whispered.

            Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and pushed a wave of love into the bond as he held on tightly. “I am having a lot of fun today.” He told the blonde.

            There was a cough that interrupted them before Draco could respond. They looked up to see that the line had moved forward a huge chunk without them knowing.

            “Sorry.” Draco told the man who coughed, he smiled sheepishly before he pulled Harry forward, closing the gap.

            “It is alright.” The man didn’t seem to be upset or to have a problem with them. Which was a relief to the both of them. The guy was older, at least in his mid-forties and appeared to be alone. He smiled warmly at them.

            “You know.” Harry began in a low voice to Draco. “We haven’t really encountered anyone that was crazy homophobic.” He was pleased with this.

            “Today or during the honeymoon in general?”

            “Both.” Harry conceded. “There has been a few looks but that is about it.”

            “Unless you count that girl in the hotel before we left.” Draco pointed out. “But that wasn’t anything too bad.” He admitted. Draco didn’t want to jinx anything so he quickly changed the subject.

            The line was moving too slow for Draco’s liking. This was the drawback of muggle things. The speed in which muggles do tasks would always be their biggest fault. “I am going to die if we have to wait much longer.” He moaned pitifully.

            “Baby, it has only been half an hour.” Harry chided gently. He loved Draco, he really did, but he was going to kill him.

            “Half an hour too long.” Draco grumbled. He sighed when they _finally_ were a few people away.

            “Go ahead.” An employee gestured to Draco to go ahead. He shook his head. “There’s only one more spot, I would like to ride with him.” He pointed to Harry.

            “The seats are singular and right behind each other in a line.” The snotty teenager pointed out. “Does it matter if he is on the same port? The next one takes off minutes after yours.”

            “It matters.” Draco told him with a clenching of his jaw. What was this guy’s problem?

            “I am a solo rider.” The man behind them piped up. “I can go on this one and they can go on the next one.”

            Draco turned to the guy with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

            The employee looked annoyed but didn’t say anything after that. When it was their turn to go, Harry let Draco go in the first seat, he wanted to be behind his lover so that he could hear his words better. Because he already knew that Draco wouldn’t be able to be quiet.

            Despite the horrible wait, the ride was worth it. Draco was enchanted from the beginning to the end. He was a little nervous when it became pitch black but the projection of the earth, stars, and comets were beautiful. He spotted asteroids and even a meteor shower! He wished he could bottle up the few minutes on the ride and show other wizards that muggles could come up with brilliant things too. Walter Disney hadn’t come up with the actual rides himself, it had been his muggle team that took over after his death and continued it onward. He was impressed with all of it.

            The twists and turns had Draco gripping the edges of his seat and the dips had him letting out surprised laughter. It did remind him a little bit of a broom but it was still a different feeling. This type of ride centered in his stomach. Every dip had his stomach moving slightly. It was an odd feeling but he loved it.

            Harry’s favorite part of the ride was Draco. Every laugh and giggle just lightened his heart. He thought the ride was great but it would have been lack luster without Draco here. He wouldn’t be able to recall this ride to perfect clarity due to focusing on his husband a little bit more than the actual attraction but that was alright with him.

            “That was wicked.” Draco breathed out when they were back out in the sun and walking away. “The ride was so interesting and the way it moved, Harry I felt it right here.” He pointed to his stomach.

            Harry couldn’t stop the giant grin on his face if he had tried.

            “Can we ride that again, before we leave?” The silver eyes turned pleading.

            “Sure.” Harry told him with a small smile. “Whatever you want.”

            The happiness in the bond was thrumming loudly, a little louder than normal. There was a vibration to it that made Harry curious. He wondered if it was the ley that was causing it or if it was just themselves.

            The next few hours were spent going on every ride in the vicinity. Draco had loved _Pirates of the Caribbean_. Muggle Pirates had always fascinated him. He loved their clothing and the way they acted. The ride itself was so interesting that he hadn’t even spoken much. Other than to say, ‘Harry, look!’ over and over.

            One of Harry’s favorites had been _The Haunted Mansion_. He had thought the whole thing was intriguing. Draco hadn’t really been able to enjoy the whole thing because he was disappointed in the aesthetics of the mansion itself. He just kept reminding Harry that the Manor was bigger. ‘I just think that if they are going to call it a mansion, that it should be _much_ bigger. It’s a letdown.’ Harry had just rolled his eyes in response.    

            They both agreed that _Jungle Cruise_ was their least favorite. They did not like that they had to get into a boat but the ride itself just didn’t really make the wait worth it. The ride was supposed to show all the different kinds of animals that could be found in Africa, South America and South Asia. The animals weren’t that well-built. Sometimes the only thing that moved was a twitch of a tail or the mouth when a roar or growl would come out. ‘Harry that is so obviously fake, I think Kreacher looks more like a monkey than that one.’ They had gotten some dirty looks from their dislike of the ride but they weren’t going to pretend to like it. The only redeeming thing they enjoyed about the whole thing was their ‘tour guide’. The employee had given out facts about all the animals and even the places they were supposed to be in. They learned some things that they hadn’t known before.

            “Harry, what has our life become when we get excited over facts versus the ride?” The horror in the bond had Harry cracking up. “What are we, Ravenclaws?” Draco shivered.

            _Big Thunder Mountain Railroad_ was one they liked the look of more than the actual ride. They both thought it was too short for their liking. When you wait forever in a line just to get right off the ride so quickly, made it all seem not worth it. “I like the tracks and the mountain.” Draco admired the aesthetics of the scenery on their way out. “I think whoever designed a lot of this was just a genius.” The ride had made him feel everything that it had been designed to.

            “Woah.” Draco whispered as they approached a castle. “Harry what is that?”

            Harry pulled out the map. “That is Cinderella’s Castle.”

            Draco wrinkled his nose. “The one with the inaccurate depiction of a fairy.” He remembered when Harry told him that story. Fairies just don’t deal in gifting humans things like that. Especially not to muggles. “To be honest, the story reminds me of a what muggles think of genies. I mean it was all _really_ an illusion. Maybe not your typical one, instead of being pulled into an illusion, everyone was tricked into _thinking_ that she was wearing a pretty dress and shoes. Because fairies don’t bother with trivial things like a ball. They don’t care about crying servants.”

            “Yes.” Harry agreed as he looked around making sure no one could hear Draco. “But it is just a story. Imagination and all.” He said dryly. “I imagine a lot of little girls imagined themselves going to a ball and getting to dance with the prince.”

            “That is another thing I dislike.” Draco interrupted. “Instead of dancing the night away at a ball, couldn’t the fairy have given her something worthwhile? Fix her family life not give her one night of fun. Turn the step mother into a dung beetle and squish her. That would have solved half of her problems. Worth more than a dumb dress. Getting the prince is nice and all but shouldn’t she focus on getting her life in order _first_?” He was having a hard time figuring out the whole thought process to the story.

            A few people had stopped to stare at Draco, much to Harry’s displeasure.

            “If the prince wouldn’t like her in her original clothes while she cleans the house, then is he _really_ a good guy? If she had met him outside of the ball, would he still have liked her? I really wonder.” He paused to take a deep breath.

            “And another thing-” Draco glared at Harry when a hand covered his mouth.

            “Draco, I love you but please stop talking.” Harry begged. “I promise I will listen to every flaw you find in the stories when we are alone but you are attracting attention.”

            Draco looked to the left and right and noticed that Harry was right, he _was_ attracting quite a bit of attention. He flushed a little. Some of the faces were thoughtful and confused but some just looked angry that he was picking a part the story.

            When Harry released his hand, Draco surged forward and kissed the breath right out of him. Draco figured if they were going to stare at them, why not give them a reason to?

            Harry was surprised but quickly melted into the kiss. It was the first actual kiss they had indulged in properly since they got to this side, that wasn’t on the cheek or a quick peck.

            The gasps weren’t enough to make them stop nor were the noises of disgust. “I thought we were going to tone things down.” Harry whispered against plump lips. Not that he cared.

            “I don’t care what anyone thinks.” He sucked Harry’s bottom lip into his mouth. “I will kiss you whenever I want.” He empathized this by more presses of lips and deep kisses. “I do what I like, whenever I like.”

            “Mommy they are so pretty.”

            The way it was said flashed something inside both of Harry and Draco’s mind. They broke away from the kiss to stare at each other. As one they turned to look at a little girl. Age wise, she appeared to be around five. Her eyes were being blocked due to a Mickey Mouse hat on her head.

            “Draco…” Harry whispered as they watched the little girl ooo and aww over employees dressed up as Cinderella and Prince Charming. She was right next to them, only a couple feet away.

            Draco wracked his brain trying to think of why that sounded so familiar. Flashes of memory started entering his mind. * **Flash*** In Singapore a little girl uttered the same sentence as she pointed at them. Her eyes had been covered by bandage. ***Flash*** In Barcelona a little girl had said the same thing as she gestured out the muggle flying train. Her eyes had been obscured by large sunglasses too big for her face. ***Flash*** In Paris when they had been checking out, a little girl of the rude lady that had pushed Draco aside had said the same statement. A suit case had been covering up most of the girl’s face.

            Harry’s mind was remembering those same instances, only for the life of him he couldn’t remember what the mother looked like at all. Not a single feature was sticking out in his mind.

            As if the little girl knew they were staring at her, she turned slowly and lifted up her hat that fell into her face. White eyes were the first thing that they could make out. The most startling thing about the whole thing was the smile the girl released, sharp jagged teeth were standing out heavily. “It is about time you figured it out. I was beginning to grow bored.”

            The floating white eyes in Sicily made sense. Draco couldn’t stop the look of horror on his face. “You are a Jinn.” He whispered. He felt Harry tense up and the bond was filled in worry and fear. The only reason the family had escaped the Flamel’s Jinn was because they set it free. What in the world could they do to escape now? Even if they apparated out of here, the Jinn had proved that it would just follow them.

            Harry narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Jinn in disguise. It was obvious that the Magical Being wanted something from them. If not, it would have just killed them back in Singapore.

            “Mmm. Yes.” The Jinn purred. “But the real question, is what do I want?” The harsh bark of laughter sent dread down both of their spines.

            Draco thought that the real question was, what kind of Jinn were they dealing with?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyy.
> 
> I will get to the good stuff in a minute. I would like to start at the beginning. The ride If you had wings, was technically closed before the boys got there. It had gone through a few name changes over the years. I kept the original. Later, the ride was replaced by Buzz Lightyear's Space Range Ride. 
> 
> The girls in line. Okay, so depending on who you are and the context and tone of the question in general, you might not find the questions offensive. There are a lot of people that would find some of them offensive. I wanted to showcase some of the questions that people get asked. I think they are silly and why even ask them in the first place? 
> 
> The kids in the arcade. I wanted to show that prejudice and homophobia is sometimes environmental and how people raise their children. Later in life, it becomes the responsibility of the child to decide what they believe. I like to think children are more accepting of things that they don't understand than adults. I wanted to give the boys a happy memory for the next time that some asshole says something derogative to them. Fun fact, when I was in the 2nd grade, my teacher went around the room predicting what she thought we would all be when we were older. I got President of the United States. Hell yeah. I was queen of the playground for about a week after her announcement. No one wanted to upset the future president. :P
> 
> The Divination lesson is something that I have wanted to implement for a while now but never had the right opportunity. That is a hint. It will be talked about later in the series. 
> 
> The penny arcade was actually first implemented into Disneyland and then later added to Disney World. It is no longer in Disney World but it is still in Disneyland. Esmerelda was in both of them. A lot of people say that the machine was eerie in the predictions. Some people swore that they always come true. I loved this and just had to add it to my own story. For the predictions, that was a bitch. I wanted to keep it somewhat similar to what Esmerelda would have said. There aren't too many examples out there online. I took a few of her actual predictions and jumbled them together and added my own twist to them. 
> 
> Space Mountain. I am sorry I didn't go into too much detail with the ride. I was going off of memory and what was available online. The videos of the ride don't do it justice. Like at all. The haunted Mansion. I didn't go into some details because it was a little hard getting descriptions of the place before they renovated it after the movie. Same with Pirates of the Caribbean. I have never understood why they felt the need to add Captain Jack Sparrow to the ride. It made it less authentic. Sorry for anyone who likes Jungle Cruise. That one will never be liked by me. The ride just sucks. If you are going to put in animals and have them somewhat animatronic, then do it well. 
> 
> I do apologize that there really wasn't a whole lot of rides in the story. They did visit other things but I just couldn't put it all in here. 
> 
> Now, for the end of this chapter. I know that some of you had predicted that it was some kind of Jinn. While others knew it was some kind of Magical Being. Congratulations. I have questions for you. There is a certain criteria that has to be met to be able to tell that you are in fact dealing with a Jinn. What are they? Also, how do you break an illusion? The answer to that is another huge indicator that the boys had been dealing with Jinn for quite some time. Both of these answers can be found in the first instalment. 
> 
> Yes, they were followed from the very first leg of the honeymoon. I want you to think back to Barcelona. I hinted to you all that there were things about the chapter that related to previous ones. I said it in the notes. I will be the first to admit that there are times when my foreshadowing is horribly small. The girl being the Jinn is one of those instances but I had thought that for sure you all would pick up on the fact that she said the SAME sentence. But then in Paris I did it again and no one noticed! Lol you kill me. Not just that either, every time I added the girl in, she had something covering her eyes. I thought that would raise red flags. With the floating white eyes in Sicily, that was terribly obvious and as blatant as I really ever will get in my foreshadowing. I don't like to make things obvious and I love to make you guys wonder things. 
> 
> ALSO, soulmates are immune to the abilities of a Jinn. So, I am highly curious as to what you think about that. How was the Jinn able to trick them? The answer is literally in this chapter. So maybe I can be more blatant than I thought. The next chapter will go into more details guys. No worries there. 
> 
> Let me know what you think.
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	16. History Repeats Itself and the True Definition of Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* There are a couple things that I would like to say before you read this chapter. Please reread chapter 82 of the first instalment. It is titled, 'Shaytan'. That will give you the most information on my Jinn species. If you think you have a good memory and don't care about rereading it, well then prepare to be confused. Because there is ALOT of things that aren't going to make sense. Even if you do reread it, things might still not make sense. I will try to explain that the best I can. 
> 
> This entire chapter is going to fuck with your mind, like a lot. There will be a lot things discussed. Some will seem like it doesn't fit or belong but I promise you it does. There are some concepts that might make your eyebrows raise or you might even scoff. Patience and just stick with me. There is an underlying concept to my story that centers all around this chapter. Duality. That is the entire point of this chapter and I want you to keep that in mind while reading it. 
> 
> I tried putting in a photo, I have no idea if it worked. Never done that before. If not, then oh well. It is a photo of a leaf. I know that sounds silly but there is a purpose! 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoy it.

>            

            Harry looked around rapidly trying to figure out if they were inside of an illusion. It took a few rapid heartbeats to remember that they were immune to a Jinn’s abilities. He narrowed his eyes as the little girl took a step forward.

            The normally active mind of Draco’s was failing him. For the life of him, he just couldn’t understand how they could have gotten themselves caught inside of a Jinn’s illusion.

            “How?” Draco demanded to know. “How did you catch us in your abilities?”

            The already creepy smile grew broader, sending shivers down their spines. “I didn’t.” There was a pause. “That is the beauty of the whole thing, isn’t it? I caught you without even ensnaring you.”

            The oxymoron was hurting Harry’s brain. How could they have been caught but not ensnared? Was the Jinn suggesting that he _didn’t_ use his abilities?

            There was no warning before the Jinn lunged forward and got a hand on the both of them. The next thing they knew, they were in the middle of a forest. They had been apparated out of there. “I have taken you to a spot in range of the ley line.” The Magical Being explained to them with a lazy flick of his hand.

            A puff of smoke later and they were looking at his original form. The Jinn was a dark blue, so dark that the sun made him appear black. He had no hair and there were intricate patterns on top of his bald head. The eyes were completely white and the body was all black smoke. He was floating in the air with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at them with an unreadable expression on his face.

            There was something about the Jinn that struck Draco as familiar. It wasn’t necessarily the overall looks or any nonexistent resemblances to the little girl. The features of his face reminded him of someone else and it was bothering him that he couldn’t quite place it.

            “Have you figured it out yet?” The Jinn taunted with _way_ too much amusement.

            When neither of them spoke up, he tsked with a shake of his head. “I am disappointed. You were _so_ close with your ideals on the muggle story. _Such_ similarities.”

            Draco froze in surprise as he thought back to when he was complaining to Harry. _‘To be honest, the story reminds me of a what muggles think of genies. I mean it was all really an illusion. Maybe not your typical one, instead of being pulled into an illusion, everyone was tricked into thinking that she was wearing a pretty dress and shoes.’_

            Harry let out a whoosh of breath. “We weren’t _in_ an illusion. We were _seeing_ it in passing and assuming it was real.”

            The Jinn clapped slowly. “Bingo.” He congratulated. “Do you know how hard it was to illusion things and _not_ people. Goes against all instincts of mine.”

            The sentence made no sense to Harry. He was trying to figure out the differences between the two and how it was able to affect them since they were soulmates.

            Draco bit his lip hard to stop from explaining things to Harry. Now was not the time for a lesson.

            Their kidnapper let out a loud laugh. “I can see your desires.” He looked to Draco pointedly. “I know that you are just _dying_ to tell him. Go ahead. I will indulge you.” He put his hands behind his head and floated in the air on his back. “I have all the time in the world.”

            He almost wanted to not do it on principle, but the confusion coming from Harry was enough to move him into talking. He had shown some books on Jinn to Harry but sometimes books didn’t explain things very well. Some things needed to be said.

            “Jinn don’t just see your deepest darkest desires, they see _all_ your desires.” He sent a glare towards the Magical Being. “They deal in illusions meant to trap people in them. Once they are caught inside of the trap, they become physically immobile and at the mercy of the Jinn. To the victims they are just transported into one of their desires and the illusion keeps them enchanted. While the victims are ensnared, the Jinn now has the opportunity to literally suck out every desire inside of the body and then they take the life essence of the person. It is how they eat.” Draco explained. Jinn and Lactera were similar in that aspect, only Lactera eat the magic of a person.

            “Jinn illusion _people_ not surroundings.” Draco shot the Jinn a suspicious look. “It is easy to trick a person but with us being immune, he would’ve had to get creative.”

            Harry furrowed his brows. He understood the basics of a Jinn. The books had gone into detail on them. It was the surrounding bit that just didn’t make sense. “How did you do it?” Harry asked as he looked back to him. “And _why_ did you do it?”

            When the Jinn just kept floating and not responding, they both grew frustrated.

            “If the surroundings were an illusion, does that mean that the same thing applies as if it were a human victim?” Harry wondered as he looked back to Draco. “Remus said that the only reason they were able to break out of their illusion was that they figured out what didn’t belong.”

            Draco blinked rapidly at the question. It was an interesting concept. Would it be the same? Jinn can’t always get their illusions right, which is why Déjà vu is a side effect. Not only that but there is _always_ something that doesn’t belong, it is the _only_ way to break the illusion. Perhaps there had been things that didn’t belong the whole time and they just didn’t realize it.

            They both startled when the Jinn righted himself and stared at them intently. “Yes.” He answered Harry’s question.

            Draco tilted his head to the side trying to remember anything that didn’t belong in Singapore. “ _Virganes_.” Draco whispered when he realized. He smacked his forehead in frustration. “I can’t believe it.”

            “What?” Harry asked inelegantly. He had no idea what his husband was talking about.

            “The vines, Harry.” He told him with a scowl. He had already explained what _Virganes_ were when they were in Singapore. “I had thought it was odd that they were behaving that way towards you. I just didn’t think it was part of an illusion.”

            Harry furrowed his brows at the reminder of the damn vines. He cocked his head to the side. “But if it wasn’t an illusion on us, why didn’t we realize it was an illusion? I mean they touched me and everything.”

            They both looked to the Jinn hoping for an explanation.

            “I used what was already there.” Was all the guy would say. Great conversationalist.

            Draco huffed at the lack of information. That meant that they would have to figure it out on their own.

            “If the _Virganes_ was really there and he just illusioned it slightly, then our minds _did_ see the illusion.” Draco breathed out in awe. He could feel the confusion in the bond and tried to come up with a way to explain his thought process.

            “Like muggle optical illusions?” Harry supplied when Draco didn’t respond.

            “Yes.” Draco mused. “It would be like that. Our minds _saw_ the illusion but filled in the blanks till it appeared normal. We overlooked the illusion because it was designed to trick some of our senses but not all of them. It was a mind trick not a magic trick.”

            “Woah.” Harry whispered. He was reluctantly impressed. This was dangerous. Jinn were raised up a notch on his scale after this. “What about the second time through them?” He countered. “We didn’t encounter anything other than the vines that day.”

            “Hmm.” Draco hummed in thought. “But it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time.” He pointed out. “It grabbed your arm but it did that to me too.” He shook his head. “I think that one was the real plant without any illusions. But what about Barcelona? That was the next time we saw the little girl.”

            Harry wrinkled his forehead as he thought back to that day. What had stood out to him? “The old lady and the employee.” He said a little unsure. “There was an old lady getting on the sky tram and the employee repeated the same sentence multiple times.”   

            Draco paused to think back. He could remember an employee telling the lady to be careful. But after the first few times, was there really a reason to keep asking? He had thought it was odd but chose to ignore it at the time.

            “It’s the only thing I can recall that was out of place.” Harry mused. “She could have been an illusion that we overlooked.”

            That was all they really had to go off of for Barcelona. So Draco just nodded his head and thought to the next time they saw the little girl. “Paris.” He wondered out loud.

            “No.” Harry interrupted. “We were saved in Sicily.” He pointed out.

            They both looked to the Jinn who was watching them in open amusement. “Why did you save us?” Draco asked in polite confusion.

            “You both serve a bigger purpose than to die in a wretched place like that.”

            Harry didn’t like the sound of that. Bigger purpose? He didn’t want to be a bigger purpose. That sounded like the opening of a ‘saving the world’ kind of speech. No thanks.

            “You weren’t even _supposed_ to be in Sicily.” The Jinn narrowed his eyes at them. “Your desires are so big and in depth. I can read you both so easily. Rome was where you were supposed to go. I felt and saw it in your cores. So when you didn’t show up, I knew something was wrong. I knew that I had to find you.” He shook his head. “I just didn’t think it would be in Sicily of all places. I had to use a lot of energy illusioning things.”

            Harry’s eyes widened. “Déjà vu.” He whispered. “I didn’t quite realize that is what it was at first.” He thought back to the masks that reminded him of the graveyard that the deatheaters wore. “And then the person who flinched when I said Voldemort’s name.” He shook his head angrily. “I knew that it didn’t make sense! Why would anyone in Sicily care about the sound Voldemort’s name? They wouldn’t. He wasn’t anything to them. I just got distracted with the _Partales_ after that to remember it.”

            Draco wrapped an arm around Harry and pulled him close. He was feeling the same frustration. The answers had been right in front of their faces the whole time and they hadn’t seen a damn thing.

            “Paris had those twins!” Harry yelled suddenly, startling Draco. “We thought it was odd that the guy was saying that they weren’t twins but it was obvious that they were related somehow.” He recalled.

            “Yeah but other than that, there wasn’t anything else that stood out.” Draco piped up. Nothing that didn’t belong.

            “That is because I wasn’t illusioning anything but myself that time. I _chose_ not to allow you to see anything else out of the ordinary. I made it possible for nothing to raise your suspicions other than myself.” Something about the sentence wasn’t sitting well with Draco. That wasn’t adding up to his knowledge of Jinns.

            “I had to make sure that you both were alright after the _Partales_ attack. I can’t heal either of you. So I wanted to make sure the hospital was competent.”

            From anyone else, Draco might have found the statement sweet or endearing but not now. The fact that it was coming from a Jinn who had been stalking them for several weeks was not comforting.  

            “What about after that? When we were checking out?” Harry questioned. He thought back to that day and had a hard time remembering anything that had stood out as something that didn’t belong. “The only weird thing was that the employee repeated himself even after we understood.” He shrugged, that wasn’t too out there.

            Draco narrowed his eyes. The only thing they had been doing when they went down there was to see if any mail had come for him.

            “Have you been stopping our mail?” He asked in anger. He had _known_ that Theo wouldn’t have just ignored him. Then Kenny had said that a letter had been sent to them from him. He had chalked it up to their constant moving around by apparating. He just thought that an owl was having a hard time following them.

            “Slowing would be a better word.”

            By the tone of his voice, he wasn’t the least bit remorseful. Draco clenched his fists tightly. “Why?” That was all he trusted himself to say right now. They barely had any answers regarding _why_ they were followed and _what_ the whole thing was about. His already nonexistent patience was waning.

            “Because you would have gone back to England without a single thought and I couldn’t have that.” He shook his head. “I _needed_ you to see the places you have gone. You couldn’t return to England just yet.”

            Harry’s heart skipped a beat. What was happening back home that would have made them forgo the rest of their honeymoon? He shared worry and fear in the bond.

            Draco was still upset but now he was also curious. “The places we have gone?” He said out loud as he thought it over. He looked to Harry.

            “I am guessing the places you showed up were the ones you wanted us to see.” Harry stated the obvious. “But what does Singapore, Barcelona and Paris have to do with each other?”

            “No.” Draco shook his head. “Don’t forget Rome. He said we were supposed to go there.”          

            “Also here.” Harry pointed out. The Jinn was illusioned here as well.

            “Okay.” Harry began. “Singapore, Spain, France, Italy and America.” He tried racking his brain to see if there was some kind of correlation between them all.

            Draco narrowed his eyes as he became lost in thought. It was as if something was missing from the list. It was sparking some kind of memory but he just couldn’t recall the missing piece.  _‘You couldn’t return to England just yet.’_ The sentence was sticking out in his mind. “Yet.” He whispered. “You said we couldn’t return to England just yet. That implies that England was another place on your list.”

            The Jinn seemed quite pleased by this line of thought, leading Draco to believe that he was right. He tried thinking of different culture ideals that could possibly link them all. He tried recalling Wizard villages of each place but nothing linking them could make sense. People, food theatre and even organizations were blanking in his mind. _Nothing_ was sounding familiar to him.

            “What about something related to Magical Beings?” Harry asked Draco. “I know that we didn’t explore Spain other than Barcelona but isn’t there a community there of Magical Beings?” Harry recalled. He knew that Singapore had the sanctuary. He wasn’t sure about France, Italy or America though.

            Draco froze at Harry’s question. He filtered through all of his knowledge of Magical Beings and some of their villages. “There _is_ an all Magical Being village in Spain.” He thought out loud. “But there isn’t one in Rome. Sicily had one but we weren’t supposed to go there.” He groaned in frustration.

            “There are several Magical Being communities inside of America.” Draco continued. The place was too massive to only have one. There were quite a few spread out all over the states.

            “France doesn’t have _any_ Magical Being communities.” Draco shook his head in sadness at that. “The opposite actually.” He said in disgust. “A lot of organizations against Magical Beings reside inside of France.” Draco gasped at the thought. He thought over the other places and smacked a fist against his palm.

            “That’s it.” He whispered. “Every place mentioned _does_ have something in common.” Draco told Harry in satisfaction. “They are all stops on the Wizard for Humanity movement.” He sneered the name of that horrid organization.

            Harry arched his brows in surprise. He hadn’t quite realized how far Etchings’ movement had spread. A sudden thought had him turning back to the Jinn in suspicion. “Was Etchings even real? Or was he just another illusion.”

            Draco let out a low whistle. He hadn’t even thought of that. He didn’t like the idea that he had been talking to a fake man, if that was true.

            The Magical Being smirked at them in delight. “Oh he was real.”

            Draco shook his head. “The chances of us just _happening_ to come across one of the founders of the organization that is touring in those countries, the _same_ countries you have followed us to, is out of the realm of coincidences.” There was no way he was buying into them just meeting the man here.

            The Jinn floated high into the air with a laugh. “I can’t trap _you_ in an illusion but keep in mind that I can do it to others.” The feral grin did nothing but creep them out. “I convinced him through illusions and tricks of the mind that coming here was a good idea.”

            “Why?” Harry couldn’t figure out what was the point. So the guy is a major arse in charge of horrible ideals that are spreading out to other countries, it was awful but what did it have to do with them? What could they do about the guy and why had the Jinn followed them?

            “For the bigger purpose.”

            The vague response had Draco growling in frustration. Fuck the bigger purpose. A sudden thought had him curious. “You didn’t trick _us_ into going anywhere, did you?” He abhorred the idea. This was their honeymoon and every bit of it was precious to them. Draco hated the possibility that they had been tricked into some of their destinations.

            “Surprisingly, no.” The Jinn retorted. “Desires. I see them.” He repeated for the countless time. “I could see _where_ you wanted to go and I worked around that. If you had decided to go to Sweden instead of France, that still would have worked in my favor. If you had wanted to go to Brazil instead of Spain, it still would have been alright. Algeria, Iceland, Korea, Egypt, Peru and Turkey. This is just a _small_ list of places that are stops on _one_ tour of _one_ organization. Do you know how many other organizations there are that go against the rights of Magical Beings?”

            Harry and Draco looked to each other in alarm. The gap between Wizards and Magical Beings was getting bigger and bigger.

            “Hundreds upon hundreds of them. The problem is gigantic and it is spiraling out of control. The state of things is cracking and soon Wizards will have a mess on their hands, one that will be of their own doing. Ironic, really.”

            “Hundreds.” They both whispered at the same time. The idea of being able to help, even remotely, seemed impossible. What could they do?

            “Why do you care?” Draco asked tactlessly. “Since when do Jinns interfere in the affairs of wizards and Magical Beings?” He knew it was rude to ask but it was a valid question. Jinn had _never_ done anything for anybody but themselves. Djinn were likely to leave a victim alive but that was about as nice as a Jinn could get.   

            Harry groaned. Why was Draco always saying things before thinking them through?

            That had been the wrong thing to say. The Jinn puffed out angrily before turning straight up and glaring at Draco.

            “I just love how wizards assume things that they know nothing about.” He spat out angrily. “You think because you write down ‘findings’ inside of textbooks that it must mean it is true? You think that you _know_ what a Jinn does and doesn’t care about? Wizards are so frightened of the mere mention of us that they cower in fear. I would like to point out some of your misconceptions.” He declared suddenly as he curled his vapor part of him behind his body, giving off the weirdest impression of someone sitting cross legged, only in the air.

           “You silly wizards think that we are incapable of performing a correct illusion.” The disgust in his voice had them both wanting to take a step back.

            “Did it ever cross your tiny insignificant minds that we _want_ to be found out? That the option to break free of the illusion is for your benefit and not by some mistake of ours? You perceive breaking the illusion as a flaw. You see it as a weakness of ours and therefore think you understand us.”

            Honestly, it hadn’t crossed Draco’s mind. Everything that has ever been researched about Jinn don’t show anything of the sort. Was the guy suggesting that Jinn didn’t want to trap people? This wasn’t adding up at all.

            “Trapping people in an illusion, is a work of art. To take a simple desire and turn it into something that will ensnare the human mind is not an easy feat. It takes dedication, if we wanted to, we could trap someone inside of an illusion for _years_. Free will is an interesting concept. In my realm, there is no free will. Where I come from, there is nothing but restrictions and orders that would make you whimper and beg for death.” The smirk was bitter and cruel.

            “We see your desires but that isn’t what we _really_ crave.” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, desires are wonderfully addictive. Especially heady ones, like what the pair of you release.” This time the smirk was almost playful. Harry just wished the Jinn would stop smirking all together, it was too creepy.

            “We trap people in desires, so that we can suck them all out and get to what we _really_ want. The unwanted. We want the very thing you don’t want. We like the horror that crawls inside of your worst fears. We want the thoughts you bury away because they worry or frighten you. We want the things you deny because they are unwanted. We want the things that you would pay money to get rid of. Every depraving thought you have ever wondered about yourself, we want them all. We want the very opposite of a desire. We want every single unwanted part of you.”

            Draco was reminded of a Dementor. The Dementors take the happy memories because they want the unhappy memories that remain.

            “What is that muggle saying? What one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. What people dislike about themselves is the _very_ thing we crave. There is something beautiful about the unwanted. No matter how much of a positive person you are, the unwanted thoughts will creep upon you eventually. They are always there in the back of your mind. They are reminders to try harder and to be better. The unwanted can be someone’s salvation or the reason they crumble.” The man sighed heavily.

            “But to get to the unwanted, we have to take the desires away. People can’t live without their desires _and_ their unwanted thoughts. There would be nothing left. We don’t leave clues in the illusion because it is a fault of ours. We _allow_ the possibility of an escape because it is fun. It is fun to see what kind of human or Magical Being can break out. Will it be the weak willed or the Brainiac? Will the more emotional see past our ruse or will the stunted take notice? It is a study, really. It gives us more insight into the human mind. If you manage to break free then you are gifted with your life.” He paused to consider his own words.

            Draco didn’t like that sound of that. Jinn were using humans as a means of research? As if they were rats in a muggle study? Is that all Jinn saw them as?

            “Well that isn’t technically true. Djinn are more inclined to only breach the surface of unwanted thoughts after taking away desires. So they will be the ones to leave you alive whether you figure it out or not. Iblis come and go with what they choose to do. Muggles are easy to just take everything and leave behind the dead body.” The Jinn laughed cruelly at his explanation.

            “And a Shaytan?” Harry whispered.

            The laugh faded and a pure evil smile took over. “A Shaytan _rarely_ leaves a victim a live.” This much they both knew. “Shaytan take everything, including the body.” Their displeasure must have shown on their faces, because the Magical Being shook his head.

             “Wizards perceive that what a Jinn does as wrong. But by whose standard? What _ever_ gave the right for Wizards to dictate what anyone else can do? It is how we eat. It is how we stay alive. You eat animals to stay alive. To us you are animals. What is the difference? Animals are alive, you are alive. Animals have feelings, so do you. Animals have families, so do you. Animals cry and bleed, so do you. Animals can feel emotions, so do you. Animals have intelligence, can’t exactly say humans have that.” He smirked.

          “The _only_ difference between an animal and you, is that they _can’t_ fight back. What were to happen if you _couldn’t_ fight back? Then you would be one step closer into my own argument that you are nothing but an animal to me.”

            Harry arched his brows. He had never really stopped to consider his own superiority when it came to how he lived.

            “You might say that animals were put on the earth for your benefit, but I can say the same thing about you. Your desires and unwanted thoughts were put on this earth for my benefit. Why is your statement true, but mine is not? You can make rules, but I can’t?”

            “Are you trying to make us vegetarians?” Draco grumbled a little uncomfortably. If so, it was working. He wouldn’t be able to look at an animal the same way again.

            The Jinn threw his head back and laughed delightedly “No.” He shook his head. “That was not my intention. I want you to realize that wizards view _everything_ as beneath them. Whether it be muggle, animal or Magical Being. They perceive themselves as the top of the world and they couldn’t be more wrong. There will _always_ be something out there with more power or more strength.” He sighed heavily.

            “I am getting beyond the topic. I will come back to this.” He admitted with a shake of his head. “The reason the three different types of Jinn are so different is the level of power one has. Shaytan require more energy from a human or Magical Being’s body to stay alive than either an Iblis or a Djinn. Iblis needs more than a Djinn would. Which is why a Shaytan is able to come out of Fiendfyre without a ritual. They have more power than any of the others. The other Jinn need a ritual to come out.”

            Harry and Draco nodded their heads. This wasn’t anything that they didn’t know. The books had been accurate about this, at least.

            “You were wrong about something.” The Jinn changed the topic so fast. “I was going to see if you could figure it out later or if I would have to tell you. I cannot proceed this conversation without first providing you with more information.”

            The dramatic pause had Draco rolling his eyes.

            “Singapore was _not_ my first time seeing either of you. I have been following you for longer than that.” He grinned when they gaped at each other.

            “What?” Harry whispered in awe and horror. “What do you mean?” He didn’t like this one bit. How was it that something could follow them without their knowledge for so long? Singapore was the only time he could remember seeing anything out of the ordinary. Although, life as Harry Potter was _always_ out of the ordinary so it wasn’t like he knew what to do here.

            “I reentered this world through Fiendfyre.” A pointed look had them thinking of how that would relate to either of them.

            Draco dropped his mouth open in surprise. The shock in the bond was almost overwhelming.

            “Crabbe.” Harry whispered at the same time Draco whispered, “Vincent.” They both could remember the horrible scene in the Room of Requirement when Vincent Crabbe summoned Fiendfyre.

            Draco jerked slightly. “That means you are a Shaytan.” Not that he was too surprised. The way the guy acted just oozed a darkness that had to be a Shaytan.

            “A little slow on the uptake.” The Shaytan remarked with a snort. He ignored Draco’s glare. He looked to Draco with a pensive look. “I killed your friend, not the fire.”

            Harry wasn’t sure what to think about this. He had never cared for Crabbe but he would never have wished the boy to die. Even though Crabbe had tried to kill him.

            A pang of sorrow still filled Draco as he thought of his onetime friend. Crabbe’s father pushed him even harder than Draco’s own father. Which was saying something. Towards the end of Crabbe’s life, he just wasn’t the same boy he used to be. Still, he hated the idea that this Magical Being was responsible.

            “Shaytan require sustenance immediately after entering your world. Since mine was a reentering and not the first time, I needed a lot more than that. There was no saving your friend. Plus, he was the one to call the fire into life. Anyone willing to potentially sacrifice several people and the area in question, is not someone I find sufficient to keep alive.” He shrugged unrepentantly.

            “He wasn’t the only one. I had to take several lives to keep me alive. Mostly people who were near death anyways. A battle field is such a _lovely_ place. A real variety in selection of food.”

            Harry scrunched up his nose. It was like the Shaytan was acting like the battle had been his own personal market. It really was as if they were just food to Jinn.

            This was a lot to take in. Draco wasn’t sure what to think. He didn’t like that Crabbe had been murdered. But… would he have died anyways? Would Crabbe have lived past the fiendfyre?

            “Why didn’t we see you?” Draco asked as a distraction from his mind.

            The Jinn arched an unimpressed brow. “I didn’t _want_ you to see me. Magic works in mysterious ways. I managed to escape my realm and just _happen_ to come across the very two people I needed. Saved me from having to track you down.”

            Harry took a small step closer to Draco. This didn’t sound like something he wanted to know. He knew he was going to regret this. “Why did you want to find us?”

            “For your higher purpose.”

            Draco and Harry shared a disgruntled look. They were fucking tired of hearing that response.

            “I couldn’t follow you.” The Shaytan told Harry. “You had a darkness inside of you that I couldn’t help with.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So I followed you.” He gestured to Draco. “I couldn’t keep close tabs on you like I have been doing here, because of the darkness. It was something that warred with my magic. I wouldn’t have been able to trick the powerful magic as I did you both.” He hinted at their lack of mental abilities with a grin.

            The jibe didn’t even almost rile them. They both just stared at the Shaytan with a ‘really’ look.

            “The _in perpetuum simul_ ceremony was a nice touch. Haven’t seen that since the last time you performed the ritual.”

            There was a stunned silence that overtook them. The whoosh of the slight breeze was the only noise that could be heard.

            “What?” They said in unison. “Our past two lives didn’t have the ritual.” Draco said in confusion.

            The Jinn sighed heavily. “I said earlier that Singapore wasn’t the first time I had seen you but this isn’t the first time I have _met_ you either.”

            “What?” They repeated inelegantly. “Are you saying we have another past life that we are unaware of?” Harry wondered. Part of him was intrigued but also part of him was dreading the answer. Having two past lives was enough. It was still hard to keep track of the other lives sometimes.

            A loud snort had them both snapping out of wandering thoughts. “You have had _hundreds_ of lives together. Magic works in many wonderful but confusing ways. If you can’t remember your other lives than that means you weren’t meant to. The ones you do have a recollection of are the ones that will help you in _this_ lifetime.”

            Draco was a naturally suspicious person. “How do I know you are telling the truth?” He was discarding the fact that the bond had thrummed happily at the man’s words. 

            There was a slight growl that came from the Magical Being’s mouth at the insult. “If you ignore the big question of, _why_ would I say that if it wasn’t true? I will show you.”

            Harry shook his head rapidly. He didn’t want to see hundreds of past lives. No way. There was no way that he would be able to keep any wits about him if he was to be overloaded with all of that.

            Draco’s heart melted a little at the thought of there being hundreds of lives together. But he agreed with Harry’s trepidation. Three lives were enough to remember.

            “I wasn’t implying I would show you the past lives.” The sarcastic voice spoke up. “I don’t have the magic or ability to do something like that. But I am going to _show_ you an illusion of something.”

            The breeze picked up before the air became slightly thicker. They watched the Shaytan as the man began rapidly moving his hands. It almost looked like sign language to Harry. There was something beautiful about the way the guy’s hands flowed constantly. He could feel magic in the air and it was stemming from his hands.

            They blinked rapidly when the magic mellowed, the air stilled and the illusion was revealed.

            “It’s us.” Draco whispered. They were literally staring at an exact replica of themselves. It was like looking at a mirror image. Everything from their faces, hair, body, features and even their clothes was the same.

            “Yes.” The tone of the Shaytan’s voice suggested that this was a stupid thing to say. “I am going to show you what _I_ see when I look at you.”

            That had them standing up straighter. They had always wanted to be able to see what some Magical Beings saw when they were looked at. It always felt like they were missing out on something that was theirs in the first place.

            Before they could ask him to go ahead, they were suddenly blind sighted.

            Harry had to look away for a moment before he could look again. Connections. That was what his mind was first registering as he stared at their doubles. There was one giant thick line that connected the two of them together, it was vertical right in between the two of them. Veins were extruding from the line on either side and they were _everywhere_. Some of them connected or overlapped, while others stayed singular.

            “It’s like a leaf.” Draco whispered the longer he stared. There was the main line connecting them, or the Petiole of a leaf that went into Midrib and then the tip. Every single vein that spread out, came from the line between them. There were way too many of them to count. Way too many veins to follow. Some ended barely after leaving the main line. Others extended far, farther than they could even see. It was unreal how much was going on.

            Harry hummed in agreement at Draco’s statement. The veins of a leaf looked similar to what he was looking at. What stood out the most was how it was all connected back to the line that they shared between them. He tried following a few of the veins but it was difficult, he was about to give up when he realized that the vein could be followed in the other direction on Draco’s side.

            He gasped, causing Draco to look at him curiously. “Draco.” Harry whispered. “The veins don’t just meet in the middle, they aren’t just connecting us through that.” He pointed a little shakily.

            Draco tilted his head to the side as he tried seeing whatever it was that Harry could. His heart fluttered when he realized that a lot of the veins were symmetrical. They were following along perfectly. Every time a bump or uneven line would appear on one of the veins, the other persons matched it. They were following each other through any problem.

            “There are so many veins.” Draco whispered. “Are they all past lives?”

            The Shaytan tilted his head left and right, almost in a way to try and mold his thoughts. “Sort of. A lot of what you see is past lives but there is stuff from this life too.” He started pointing out to the really short veins that hardly went anywhere.

            “These short ones were early deaths or lives where you never found each other.”

            Harry clutched his chest when the bond cried out at the mere thought of never finding each other. It was wrong. So wrong. He mourned the lives of never finding Draco.

            Draco rubbed Harry’s arm reassuringly but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from their doubles.

            “I can’t point out all of the past lives because there is too many, but the thinner the vein, the further in the past the life happened.”

            Harry stepped up closer when he noticed some _really_ thin lines, they were almost faded. “How long ago was this?”

            “The answer to that might need some explaining.” The Shaytan admitted. Harry frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that. Why couldn’t he explain it right now?

            “Which one is our first life together?” He had always thought of his time as Dracott as his first life, so this would take some getting used to.

            “That one is right here.”

            They both leaned forward to where his finger was but they couldn’t make out a single thing.

            “Erm.” Harry said in confusion. “There isn’t anything there.”

            The Jinn tsked. “Human eyes need a lot of work.” He sighed heavily before producing a magnifying glass. Harry could tell by the magic surrounding it that this was probably a _really_ enhanced one.

            “Woah.” They whispered together when they looked closely. They snapped their heads up to stare at him in slight wonder. “It is so _small_.” Draco just knew that the answer to their first life would be mind-blowing. He just knew that their first life probably went past the earliest sightings of humanity.

            “You two aren’t just a soulmate couple. You were the _first_ soulmates to ever walk the earth. You _created_ the very ritual you are bound by.” He gestured to their torques.

            Harry blinked down at their torques in shock. He had mixed feelings about this. He loved the idea that they had created the ritual but he hated that a lot of people misused the ritual. It wasn’t meant for purebloods to _force_ a marriage. It was meant for people who loved each other enough to seek every life with the other person.

            A startled noise left Draco’s mouth. He looked to Harry not the torque. Part of him didn’t care that they had created the ritual. The thing that stood out to him the most was that they were the first soulmates. The bond was vibrating so forcefully that he thought he might burst into tears. The love was so palpable that he wondered if he would be able to see it.

            “This life is eerily similar to your first life.” The Shaytan continued as if he hadn’t just turned their entire life upside down. “Both lonely and dying for _some_ kind of comfort. Families that are less than exemplary. Enemies from the beginning. Hardships in life that define you. Love that surprises and startles but leads to something amazing.”

            They were both enchanted as they listened to him. There was an awareness to his words but there was no memory to go with it. It was comparable to hearing a story but knowing you were in it. They wanted to know more.

            “And now, with the approaching disaster of humanity, it is almost as if history is repeating itself.”

            “Approaching disaster of humanity?” Draco asked in worry.

            The Shaytan floated up a little higher so that he could look down at them. “Now, I will tell you the problems of this world.”

            The announcement didn’t sit well with either of them. It was a moment that they knew they wouldn’t like. It was like seeing a burning building and choosing to walk inside, despite knowing what you were going to find. This wasn’t something they wanted on their shoulders.  

            “My kind are not of this world. Your people suggest we come from the deepest pits of hell, as if we are born of evil and are sin incarnate.” There was a slight anger in his voice.

            “Hell is an interesting word. The context it is used humors me. The idea that all bad souls will one day reside in one destination is idiotic to me. Souls aren’t like human bodies, there is no constrictions that can be placed upon them to keep them where they don’t want to go. Once outside of the body, there is nothing that you can do for them. They move onto the afterlife where they reside until they choose to be reincarnated. You humans also use hell as a describing factor of your existence. When things go bad you cite that you are in hell. You think life in this realm is hell?” He scoffed with a shake of his fists.

            “There are countless realms and other worlds out there. You humans have life so easy. You whine over insignificant problems and hoard material possessions. The meaning of your existence goes right over your head while you take the basic human rights away from others. Humans are selfish in their belief that they are so important. That they are the only ones who have a right to life. That they are the only possible thing that matters.” He shook his head sadly.

           “Muggles ruin the planet with their horrible machines and selfish mentality that as long as they are alive to enjoy the earth, then who cares if future humanity will have a crumbling world on their hands? They fight in meaningless wars and argue with anyone who doesn’t agree to their point of view. Different cultures are perceived as wrong. Religion is capitalized as the only salvation while they condemn anyone who sees it differently. Skin color is seen as something other than aesthetics, some judge others solely based on the outside of the body. The body is just a container for the souls and what makes humans what they are.” The Jinn didn’t stop to hear anything from Harry or Draco. Just kept on going.

            “Wizards make me sick.” He spat out angrily. “They think that just because they have magic, that it means they are better than anyone else. As I said earlier, whether that be muggle or Magical Being. You wizards see magic as something that is yours and will always be in your possession. As if you have the right to control what you can barely understand. Magic isn’t for you to claim. Magic isn’t something that only wizards have. Magic is all around us. From the air in the sky to the dirt in the ground. Magic dictates the world in ways that your puny minds would never be able to understand. Magic is inside of everyone and everything. There isn’t a single thing in this realm that doesn’t have magic inside of it. The question is how much? Magic changes from person to person and object to object.”

            Harry and Draco shared surprise in the bond. Was the Jinn implying that inanimate objects had magic inside of it as well?

            “Muggles have magic but not in a way that can be harnessed. Every wizard has a different kind of magic than the next one. The souls change the magic of the cores into something that can’t be compared to another wizard. The magic of a core is different than the magic of nature. Magic adapts in all kind of situations and is constantly changing. The depths to magic is so vast, that humans will _never_ be able to understand it all. Despite this, Wizards are so self-righteous to believe that only they can be the ones to wield such power. How can you wield something you can’t even understand? How can you demand to be the only conqueror when you have no leg to stand on? No knowledge to back you up. Just ignorant ideals and brute strength to force _your_ agenda onto everyone else.” The angry atmosphere was getting worse. It was as if the Jinn was working himself up into a frenzy.

            “The capabilities that wizards have when it comes to controlling magic is comparable to a rock and the sun. It is laughable how wizards perceive their own self-worth. As if without wizards, the world would be nothing. As if the magic needs them.” A harsh laughter broke out around them.

            “It is the other way around. Wizards are the ones who _need_ magic. Every single one of you would be lost without it. Every single one of you wouldn’t know how to function if magic was to disappear. Wizards treat magic as a right instead of a privilege and take advantage of it all. Do you think that magic will always be there? Do you think that magic will continue to be used for the purposes of misguided and self-righteous people who don’t appreciate the beauty of it all?”

            Draco bit his lip as he thought over everything the Jinn was saying. He was getting a really bad feeling. He couldn’t deny the man’s words. Wizards would be completely clueless without magic, himself included. He didn’t know how to live like a muggle.

            “Wizards are at the top right now. But that won’t always be the case. There is going to be a time when they will be regretting their actions. There will come a time when wizards will know just what it is like to be treated as if _they_ are nothing. There will come a time when _they_ are the ones being hunted. There will come a time when _they_ will be refused the right to use magic. There will come a time when _they_ are being caged and collared and treated as if their lives are worthless. Wizards believe that just because they are currently at the top that they won’t ever be at the bottom.” The Jinn narrowed his eyes and floated slightly closer to them.

            “Magic doesn’t discriminate but wizards sure do. They treat anyone that isn’t like them as if they are somehow above them. Well, I can promise you that it won’t always be like that. There are organizations set up throughout the wizard community that defile and degrade Magical Beings all across the world! For no other reason than they are just being who they are! Magic has gifted Magical Beings with abilities that humans can’t understand. So instead of trying to figure it out, they plan to just eradicate them all! Wizards will be the death of all that this world has come to be. Their big mouths have gotten them where they are now but they will be facing the consequences soon.”

            The uneasiness in the bond was mounting with each word that the Jinn spoke.

            “The _Venadere_ is just one organization that is hunting Magical Beings. You think they will stop at werewolves? You think that they will listen to reason? You think peace and talks of unity will solve it? You think that your pathetic peaceful friends can stop this with one flyer at a time?”

            Harry didn’t like the jab towards their friends. At least they were the only people willing to stick up for what is right!

            “You would be wrong.” He declared with a shake of his head. “If nothing worthwhile is done about the _Venadere_ then the downfall of the world will begin. While you have been galivanting around the world, _several_ organizations have popped up with the plight of destroying wizard lives.”

            Draco dropped his mouth open in surprise and horror.

            “Did you think the deaths would remain one-sided? How many deaths can Magical Beings take before they will fight back? How many deaths can go unpunished before they will fight back?” The questions were rhetorical and said in burning rage.

            “For every single death that befalls a Magical Being by wizard hands will be handled with the murder of a wizard in return. An eye for an eye. Wizards don’t care about innocent lives so neither will they. Any wizard, witch or child is at risk. The opposition doesn’t have qualms about killing children so neither will they. England may have just gotten out of a war but it will be _nothing_ compared to slaughter that is right around the corner. I am not talking about a selfish man who wanted to live forever. I am talking the devastation of the _entire_ world.” He paused to take in their reactions before continuing.

            “Because that will happen. It will be a bloody world war. Not to be mistaken with the muggle title either. Every wizard and every Magical Being will be pitted against each other. How long do you think your friendships with your friends will last then?” He sneered at them. “How long do you think your friends are going to be able to stomach being in the vicinity of the same species that has slaughtered their races and destroyed their homes? You think you can fix this with peace?” He scoffed.

            “You are wrong.” He repeated the declaration. “Wizards are no strangers to wars with Magical Beings but they have never had to face a combination of **_every_** Magical race out there against them at once. Do you think they will survive? How long before the muggles become wise of magic during a world war? How long before they get involved too? This won’t end well for either side. The world will be destroyed and the cause is from pure ignorance.”

            Harry was beginning to feel sick to his stomach. He entwined his fingers with Draco and needed to feel the comforting weight of the bond to remain grounded.

            “Magic won’t stay indifferent for long. If it gets to the point of an all-out war and this realm is really threatened, then the true depths of the word ‘hell’ will have a new meaning for everyone. Do you think this is the first time something of this caliber has happened? Magic will eradicate the entire world and start over anew. This world is **4.5 billion** years old. Did you really think that only in the last few millennia was there life on earth? No. The world goes through stages of life and stages of where humanity is on the earth. You think you are the only society to have fallen? The last ice age was another failure of humanity where Magic eradicated every living thing on this planet.”

            Draco let out a wheeze of air. Most of this wasn’t computing in his mind. It was too much. His entire existence was being called into questioning and his life was seeming to be meaningless. He was barely keeping up with what the Magical Being was telling him.

            “I have seen humanity fall more times than I will ever be able to keep track of. The downfall is _always_ the idea that free will means destroying others. The downfall in every single human society is the misunderstanding of things that they don’t understand. Not every new era is it humans that are the cause. Magical Beings are at fault as well. The ignorance of never bothering to understand your counterpart is the single glaring fault that humanity is bound to repeat. Over and over and over again.”

            “Why are you telling us this?” Draco interrupted before he lost his nerve. “How old are you? What really is a Jinn if you know all of this?”

            Harry bit his lip in worry. Sometimes Draco’s mouth got them in trouble.

            “I am older than you can possibly imagine.” The creepy smile was back. “I am telling you this because _you_ _two_ are the only ones who will be able to stop this mess. You two are the ones handpicked by magic to bring humanity into something worthwhile again.” The smile grew broader at their dumbfounded expressions.

            “You don’t _have_ to do anything. You could walk out of here without retaining anything I have told you. You could choose to watch the world crash and burn from the sidelines.” He paused. “But if you could change the world, wouldn’t you want to? If there was something you could do, even if it was small and minute, but it was going to change the world, wouldn’t you speak up?”

            Harry felt like the world was resting on their shoulders. What the fuck? This was too much. He had already spent his whole life being groomed to be the salvation for England. Now he and Draco were to be the salvation for the _whole world_? Couldn’t they call in sick? Let someone else take over.

            “I see your desires.” He reminded them. “I _know_ that you care. I _know_ that you want to make a difference. I _know_ what kind of people you are. I _know_ that neither of you are satisfied with the way the world is turning out. I _know_ that you don’t want to get involved. But I also _know_ that you will do it anyways, because that is just who you both are.”

            Harry buried his head in Draco’s neck as the full weight of everything the Shaytan was telling them took in effect. He felt Draco’s arms wind around him and he reveled in the comfort.

            “How?” Draco whispered. “How are we supposed to change the world?” He just wanted to pretend like none of this had happened. This morning he had woken up a slightly abnormal person with a gorgeous husband but now he was beyond abnormal with the entire world on their hands. The only common denominator was that he still had a gorgeous husband.

            “I don’t know the answer to that.” The Jinn whispered lowly. “I didn’t during your first life when you asked me the same thing. You failed and humanity crumbled. I didn’t know all of the other times either. I just sit on the sidelines and wait for _something_ to happen. For _someone_ to come along and fix the problem. No one has ever gotten close since the first time. You two have been blessed by magic with your union. You were chosen for greatness and have achieved something others dream about. I don’t know if you can save the world, but I know if someone was ever to do it, it would be you two.”

            That was tall order and giant shoes to be filled. Harry didn’t feel like they could do it. He had no idea how one was to get past prejudice and teach others where they have done wrong. It seemed impossible. It was as if they were set up just to fail in the end. This was too much. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. Why did it have to be them? Couldn’t someone else save the world? Couldn’t magic have allowed another soulmate duo to fix things?

             “Did we ask you for help after the first time?” Draco wondered as he held Harry tighter to him.

            “No.” The Jinn admitted with a shake of his head. “I have never interfered in any of your lives other than the first. I have never approached you other than to see what kind of life you had from life to life.”

            Harry moved his head to the side so that he could see the man. “Then why did you come to us now? If this is something that happens over and over, why are bothering?”

            A sad smile graced the man’s lips. Which was far more startling than any of his smirks. “I have something to fight for, this time around.”

            By the tone of his voice, they knew he wouldn’t tell them if they asked. The bond was filled with curiosity but they weren’t going to question him.

            “Is there any way that you can help us?” Draco asked. “Maybe if it is just to occasionally bounce ideas off of? Or to update us on things that we don’t know is going on?”

            The Magical Being seemed to consider the question briefly. “I can do that.” He admitted as he extended his hands to dispel the illusion he created earlier. “Keep aware of your surroundings because I will approach you the only way I know how.” There was a smirk in his voice that let them know he didn’t _have_ to deal in illusions, he just wanted to fuck with them. “Remember to look for what doesn’t belong.”

            “Only if you are allowing a loophole.” Harry grumbled into Draco’s neck. The loud laugh the Jinn released caused his mouth to twitch.

            “Touché.” He conceded with a sharp, creepy smirk. “I suppose the fun is never knowing.” He paused to look between them. “For me, anyways.”

            There was a finality to his tone that let them know they should be going. They weren’t sure what they were supposed to do now. Everything inside of their minds were working in overdrive. They weren’t even sure what to say to the family. How do you explain all of this?

            They had just turned around when the Jinn’s voice reached them.

            “Your mail is waiting for you in your hotel room. Keep in mind that it was _imperative_ that I speak to you before you left for England. Their suffering could wait a few days. The payoff of a few extra days isn’t as bad as the suffering of the rest of the world.”

            Draco didn’t even stop to reply. He immediately apparated them to the hotel. Suffering? Who was suffering? It better not be any of his family members or there would be hell to pay.

 

* * *

 

 

           “I thought they would never leave.” A bored voice spoke up as they released the magic keeping her illusioned to the background.

            “Patience. That shall be what I teach you, Shia.” He looked over to see his daughter roll her eyes at him.

            “Why are you even helping them? You never did before.” Shia pointed out. “If the world dies then it dies.” She shrugged her shoulders.

            “One day you will understand.” He whispered as he stared intently at his only reason for existing anymore. “When you are a parent, you will want to preserve the world for them too.” He watched in amazement as his _very_ moody daughter blushed and looked to her feet. It would appear that miracles do happen, he had gotten the last word and rendered her speechless. Today was a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a lot was said in this. I know that not all of it may make sense. It was a rush of information and I hope it doesn't overload you and make you not be able to fully enjoy the things that were discussed. 
> 
> I told you in the beginning notes that duality is a key point of this chapter. Shaytans by nature aren't nice. There is a grey line in there of his point of view, where he states that humans are his food. He is not evil but he is not good either. Duality. He has no qualms about killing people but would go out of his way to save Harry and Draco. He hates humans but wants to save humanity. He hates his own realm but fights for this one. Duality. This is a character where some people will like him and others will hate him. I am okay with this.
> 
> There is a lot to be said about research and findings. Not just in the story but in real life to. Just because you claim something in the name of science, doesn't actually make it true. That is broad and vague statement. I am not of course saying science is false. That is not what I am hinting at. SOME things are questionable but that is a topic for another day. In the story, researchers base their findings off of surveillance and their own assumptions that their knowledge of Jinn meant that it was absolute. They were wrong. I would like to point out that the same can be said for Magical Beings as well. There is so much that wizards don't know about them. 
> 
> His point of view on Magic. I am not trying to throw everything in the original books out the window nor am I pulling shit out of left field. I don't think it is out of the realm of possibilities to see magic in everything of the world. The leaf visual I mentioned isn't just what he sees in the two of them. He sees the connections and the veins in everything. So to him, that is magic. To him, he sees magic in everything. I would like you to take what he says with a grain of salt. Not that he is lying. But more that he sees things in ways that no one else would be able to. Just because he sees it doesn't make it an absolute either. If you choose to see magic in a different way, then that is fine too. This was more about what he sees and believes, not necessarily what actually is. 
> 
> I told you guys awhile ago that three lifetimes for them to remember would probably be it. I still think that. I don't want them to be overloaded with SO much. Them remembering more than that would defeat the purpose. I think there are lessons in everything and they need to relearn things. I chose to make them the first soulmate paring on the earth for many reasons. Partly because of example. Look at the Flamels. They were soulmates but they weren't necessarily the most deserving. Evil people can find love too. Soulmates don't discriminate in any fashion. When I think of the first soulmate couple, I love the idea of it being Drarry. Is that cheesy? Hell yeah. Is that a tad too much? Possibly. Is it silly? *Shrugs* Do I care? No. Now, in no way will they ever remember their first life. Maybe later on I could add snippets or something, it all depends. 
> 
> The Earth really is that old. Well scientists say so. Anyways, with the world being over 4 billion years old and with magic to come into play, I rather liked the idea of there being life that existed before this last time. I like the idea of possible past civilizations. I like the idea of history repeating itself. I used natural things like an ice age as something that happens when humanity fails. It is magics way of righting itself. Some scientists say that global warming will end in another ice age, they say earth would be trying to fix itself in a way. Not that I am saying magic is global warming. Haha. 
> 
> There is so much that I want to say but I have no freaking room to write more notes. I am going to summarize for you. Yes, they have had other lifetimes. No, they won't be remembering them, for now. Yes, their is a huge fucking gigantic problem with the way wizards are treating Magical Beings. Their stalker is creepy but also brilliant in some aspects. Harry and Draco have been thrusted to save the world. Luna is probably sticking her tongue out somewhere in vindication for her thoughts now being validated. Yes, it isn't fair to Harry or Draco that they now have to magically figure out how to keep the world from falling apart. No pressure. 
> 
> Shia IS the girl in chapter three who has a father who is a Shaytan. Not exactly a nice girl. That is all I can fit in. Hopefully you liked this chapter. Let me know any thoughts or questions. If you are going to complain without reading the notes, I may just delete the comment.  
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	17. Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally. I think you guys have been wondering when they would get their letters for some time now. *Sighs* Haha that has been one of the most commented things. No worries, I totally get it. Makes sense. 
> 
> Originally, I was going to be an evil author and only release a short ass chapter with the letters. It was going to be less than 3k words. I was legit going to do it and have it be like a tease. But then... I don't know what happened. 3k words turned into 8k somehow. Don't ask, because I have no idea. So my meanness was knocked down some.

            Harry was thankful that they had opted to stay at a wizard resort, the heightening emotions in the bond would have been bad if they had to act as muggles. The wards surrounding their room prevented them from apparating in directly but the lobby didn’t even bat an eye at their apparation.

            As soon as they had fully landed, Draco grabbed hold of Harry’s hand to ensure that his lover didn’t fall before he pulled them both forward and up the stairs.

            The door banged open with the force of Draco’s magical signature. He could feel disapproving eyes from other tenants in the hallway but ignored them. Who cared what they thought? He waved his hand in the air and felt his magic lock and seal it tightly.

            Harry looked around the room, trying to figure out where their mail would have been dropped. His eyes lit up at the sight of them by the window. They walked forward but stopped when they saw three letters.

            “Who do you think the third one is from?” Harry asked as he separated them all out. He knew the one labeled as for the both of them was from Kenny. There was one solely listed for Draco, that had to be from Theodore. The third one though, only had his name on it.

            “That is from the Ministry.” Draco whispered. He set Theo’s letter down and chose to read over Harry’s shoulder to see what the Ministry would want. They could read them as one, instead of either of them having to repeat what was inside.

            Harry became immediately tense. Why would the Ministry be sending him a letter? He thought over the past couple weeks but couldn’t really think of anything. He paused when a sudden thought occurred to him.

            “You don’t think they found out about the illegal portkey, do you?” Harry wondered in a horrified voice.

            Draco snorted. “No.” He shook his head. “If that was the case, you would have gotten a letter from China’s Ministry as well, since that is where we had left from.”

            Feeling slightly better about the whole thing, Harry quickly unsealed the envelope and took a giant anxious breath before pulling out the letter.

           

_Dear Mister Malfoy, (Should I call you Mister Potter? I know of your marriage but I am unsure how you really wish to be titled. I fear my lack of social skills are ruining this.)_

Draco’s eyebrows rose at the header. This was _definitely_ not a typical letter form the Ministry.

_I have run out of options and you are my last resort. I know that you have had a lot on your shoulders as of late. I would hate to bother you with anything else but I fear that I have no other choice. I apologize. You don’t know me. My name is Andrew Burke. I am a junior assistant for the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I have several friends throughout the world, and recently it has come to my knowledge that you are an advocate for Magical Being rights._

_This does not surprise me. From what I have heard of you, you care about people, no matter what type of person that they may be. I admire that Mister Malfoy. (I am just going to assume that is how you wish to be titled.) My whole life, I have strived to make a difference. Unfortunately, my family circumstances have made this difficult for me. Your husband could probably tell you all about it but I feel like some of this should be addressed by me, if you are going to help._

_I was pulled out of Hogwarts the day after my sorting. The Burke family is a part of the sacred twenty-eight and mine in particular is from a long line of Slytherins. I was the first since the school was founded to be something different. If I had been a Ravenclaw, they may have allowed me to stay. However, I was a Hufflepuff and my parents were of the opinion that no Burke would bear that shame. I was transferred to Harmania. An out of the country school, it is actually located in Malaysia. It was a means of punishment but it was the best thing to ever happen to me._

_Harmania was where I learned different cultures, ideals and the suffering of other beings. I learned of my own history but also the problems of the world. Harmania’s motto is harmony and peace to all. Sounds… a little too free spirit or nonconformist but it was such a stark difference from my own family’s ideals that I loved it. Perhaps it is the Hufflepuff in me._

_I have made several life lasting friendships and wonderful lessons that will retain with me for the rest of my life. The one thing I learned from Harmania was that I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to improve the world, I want to be proud of wizards and our history but I am not. I hate what is going on and I hate the things that are happening. My heart aches for the bloodshed and the lives lost. I wish things could be different. I wish the world was better. I hope for a lot things Mister Malfoy._

_With all of this in mind, I joined the Ministry. I know, not exactly a place for open-minded people when trying to change the world. I just figure that if change is going to happen, why not tackle it where the main problem is? Eye of the storm and all that. I am a quick study and a hard worker, which is why only after a year out of graduating, I was placed right underneath the head of the department. I am next in line to take over if Mister Diggory were to leave._

_I had hoped working in the very department that is supposed to be making a difference would be the step I needed in the right direction. I was wrong. Horribly wrong. I worry I have made a mistake. Perhaps I should have become an Auror instead. (Although, I think I would accidentally maim myself in the pursuits of a criminal. I am horrible in a crisis.)_

_The deaths surrounding the werewolves in England are getting worse. Every time a new body is discovered, I research for hours and compile a list of known suspects or educated guesses. I go over previous cases and look at all witnesses. I type up reports and even painstakingly translate them all to other languages by hand. (Magic sometimes skews some of the translations.) I send off reports to other Ministries and then I hand in my report to Diggory and to the Magical Law Enforcement._

_I wish I could tell you that I am met with positive results but that is not the case. Neither the Aurors or my own department cares. They find the most outrageous excuses or explanations for the deaths and mark them off as accidents or the work of other Magical Beings. I am mocked for my efforts and even sanctioned for them. I have been put under suspension twice for not ceasing but I just can’t stop. I can’t allow the Ministry to remain ignorant. Werewolves are dying daily and no one seems to care. I have tried to get others outside of the Ministry to help but with no news coverage of the deaths, no one believes me._

_I have always been the black sheep of the family and now society thinks I have gone off on a bend. I am not mad, I promise you this. Werewolves are dying and it is only the tip of the iceberg. My contacts have told me of attacks out of the country to other Magical Beings as well. Something big is happening and I just don’t know what to do. I need your help. Please, I am begging you. Your surname goes much further than mine and you will have a bigger impact than I ever will._

_If you cannot help me, can you direct to me someone who might? Thank you for your time and your consideration of this letter. I do hope you are doing well and congratulations on the new marriage._

_Sincerely,_

_Andrew Burke._

_Junior Assistant of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. (Desperate citizen of a crumbling society and an employee of a corrupt government.)_

 

            Harry blinked rapidly at the letter. Huh. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the guy. There was something so very different about him than a typical Ministry employee. He was positive Burke was someone he would get along with. There was something endearing about the way the man spoke. Perhaps not the best socially but he seemed like a very kind person. There was a lot of Hufflepuff about Burke but it made Harry smile. He loved that the guy wanted to help make the world a better place.

            Draco let out a low whistle. “Andrew Burke.” He shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since I was a child.”

            That grabbed Harry’s attention. “You knew him?”

            Draco shrugged his shoulders. “I knew _of_ him. He is a year older than us and he was never… talkative.” Draco hedged. “Andrew was always a really quiet person. Even during functions or theatres. He hardly ever spoke and when he did it was always about some new fact or book he read.” He paused as he tried to think of more about the guy.

            “It was a huge scandal when he was sorted into Hufflepuff.” Draco snorted but schooled his features when Harry narrowed his eyes at him. “Burke is a _powerful_ name. Every Burke has led to something great in society over the past few centuries. When Andrew was sorted into Hufflepuff it caused the surname to come to a kind of standstill. They are still a name not to be messed with but they fly under the radar as of late. A lot of people assume that the next generation of future Burkes will bring the name back to its former glory.”

            Harry curled his mouth in distaste. “Just because the guy was a Hufflepuff?” What was with people? He honestly didn’t see how a house could define someone like that. Why were people so caught up in one aspect of someone’s personality?

            “It’s more than that though.” Draco argued. “I told you of the stigma that Slytherins have to face just being who they are. The Burke family has _only_ ever been Slytherins. That is a rare thing. Usually there will be occasional offspring to come along and shake up the norm but it had never happened to the Burkes. Take the Black family for example. Sirius wasn’t the first non-Slytherin of the bunch. My mother has a few great uncles that were Ravenclaws. There was another Gryffindor somewhere along the family tree but they were disowned for marrying a Grindylow.”

            Harry held up a hand. “Hold up. What do you mean they married a Grindylow?” He asked incredulously. “That is an actual Magical Creature. Isn’t that some kind of bestiality? Can they even talk or consent?” He remembered the creatures in the black lake and he couldn’t fathom why someone would want to marry them.

            A long-suffering sigh escaped Draco’s mouth before he could stop it. “That is another scandal for a different day.” Draco told him. “I would rather not discuss the inner-workings of my mother’s family.” He was _so_ not claiming the guy as his own relative.

            “There have even been a few Malfoys over the years that weren’t Slytherins.” Draco grinned when Harry gaped at him. “It hasn’t happened since before the Goblin wars but it did happen.” He kissed the side of Harry’s still gaping mouth.

            “It isn’t necessarily that they aren’t in Slytherin that is the problem. Sure, it is seen as a letdown. The main issue is again the stigma. Inside Slytherin they would have found unity, understanding and a family. As I told you before, Slytherins look after each other because no one else will do it for them. The issue with Slytherin children being placed inside another house is that the house won’t be very welcoming. They will be outcasts and treated as if they are still Slytherins. They will not have unity, understanding or a sense of family. The other houses won’t see them as a Slytherin byproduct. They will be constantly looked down upon based off their family and their Slytherin ancestors.”

            Harry’s mouth curled up again. Same issue different label. Whether it was Slytherin families disowning people for not being a Slytherin, or other houses bullying people with Slytherin families. He just didn’t understand it. Why did it matter?

            “The reason Slytherin families push their own kids to be a Slytherin is because they know their child will be safe inside that house. They know that their children will be okay and looked after. There is an unknown when it comes to a child of Slytherin heritage being placed into the other houses. So not always is it because they wouldn’t love the child if they weren’t a Slytherin.” He sighed again as he thought about it all.

            “My father pushed me in the hopes that I would be a Slytherin. Severus was so sure I would be a Ravenclaw.” He smiled slightly. “Now, my father was a mixture of the parents. He wanted me to be a Slytherin because he wanted me to be safe but he _also_ would have taken away half my inheritance if I had become something else.” He shook his head at the anger in the bond.

            “I wouldn’t have been happy anywhere but Slytherin.” Draco admitted. “Lucius Malfoy’s son in Ravenclaw would have been unsafe. I know it isn’t good parenting on his part but I came to grips with it a long time ago.” He paused to pat Harry's hand reassuringly.

            “The Burkes though, I doubt that they pulled him out for safety. With Andrew being the first one in the history of their family line, I guarantee it is just how he said. They were ashamed of him being a Hufflepuff. But I do disagree with his statement about the possibility of acceptance if he had been a Ravenclaw. I would bet a lot of money that they still would have pulled him out.” Draco frowned at that. He himself didn’t understand it. Punishing a child for something they can’t control would never make sense to him.

            Harry pulled Draco into his arms when he felt the emotions coming from his lover. “If there wasn’t a stigma and you could safely be in any house, which would it be?” He wondered as he nuzzled Draco’s cheek.

            “Slytherin.” Draco honestly answered. “They unity is something I have never experienced before. The way everyone comes together and forms a solid wall of acceptance, it is amazing.”

            Harry wished he could say the same thing about the Gryffindor house. He almost wished he had been placed in Slytherin so that he could understand just what it was that Draco loved about the house.

            “You know.” Draco began as he laid his head on Harry’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t care what house our children go into. Even if they were Hufflepuffs.”

            The breath left Harry in a whoosh and he felt as if his whole body had warmed up. “Yeah?” He whispered choked up. He adored every time the subject of their future kids was brought up. A traitorous part of his mind wondered if there would be a future with all of the supposed approaching world war. But he refused to think things like that. Harry would just picture the life he wanted with Draco and that included their future kids.

            Draco lifted his head up to smile softly at Harry. He loved the feelings the bond was emitting right now. “I would love it if they were able to go into Slytherin, just so that they could experience what I have.” He admitted. “But I really wouldn’t mind which house they were in. If they were Ravenclaws, I would know that they took after our love of learning new things. Both of our wit, creativity and originality. If they were in Gryffindor, I would know that they took after their wonderful father. They would have your courage, nerve and chivalry.” Harry’s heart skipped a beat. “If they were in Hufflepuff, I would know that they took after your loyalty, patience and kindness.

            Every word Draco said caused Harry to melt a little. He loved this man. So much. He cupped Draco’s cheek with a palm before leaning down and kissing him softly. As their lips moved against one another’s, a thought had Harry pulling away. He smiled when Draco let out a noise of protest.

            “Why did you leave out any positive comments about yourself besides Ravenclaw traits?” Harry wanted to know. He sighed sadly when a wave of self-doubt filled the bond.

            “Draco.” Harry whispered before placing a kiss to his husband’s nose. “You are just as brave as I am.” He shook his head when it looked like Draco might argue. “You are noble, fearless and have just as much valor as any Gryffindor.” There was an awe to silver eyes that had Harry wishing Draco would just understand what he saw.

            “You have the same dedication, tolerance and hard work as any Hufflepuff too, my love.” Harry whispered. “You have all the wonderful traits that I have as well. Our children will have an amazing father in you.”

            Draco buried his head in Harry’s shoulder. He replayed the last sentence over and over again. He had grown up swearing he would never be the father that his own had been. He wanted to show his children how loved they were from the beginning. His father has gone leaps and bounds recently, he has become a man that Draco is rather proud of. But it hadn’t always been like that. No matter what, Draco promised to be everything his future children deserved. “I’ll be a good father.”

            Harry’s heart broke a little at the words. He was positive that Draco didn’t even know he had said it. He knew without a doubt that his husband would make a wonderful father.

            “We are going to be great parents.” Harry told him firmly. He believed this.

            “Yeah we are.” Draco agreed as he lifted his head but remained in Harry’s arms. He looked back to the letter curiously.

            “I think it will be wise to have Andrew on our side. If we reply to him and let him know that we would be willing to have a meeting with him, that way nothing can be intercepted.” Draco nodded his own head in agreement. “We need people inside the Ministry if we are going to get a start on this mess. The Ministry is one of the biggest issues. We also need to get some more people besides Luna’s father to report what is happening.” He paused to send an apology in the bond.

            “I know how partial you are to Luna but her father just doesn’t have the credibility for our movement.”

            Harry rubbed his hand along Draco’s stomach in understanding. He knew this. There would probably be some other stuff that Xenophilius could do for them.

            “Andrew could also tell us if there are other people inside the Ministry who will be susceptible to what we are going for.” Draco continued to lay out a small plan. “You know.” He said a little nervously, not meeting Harry’s eyes. “Mister Weasley would be a good contact as well.”

            Harry froze at that. He knew that Draco was thinking about this logically but he was still a little upset at it all. He didn’t want to contact the man or his family. But… he could talk to Arthur about this and _not_ involve anyone else of the Weasley family.

            “You think he will help?” Harry was stalling and they both knew it.

            “I do.” Draco told him kindly. “I have never heard a single whisper about the man not liking Magical Beings. He has always been an advocate for them.” He reminded Harry gently. “If you don’t want to ask him, I can do it.”

            “No.” Harry whispered. He loved Draco for offering but that would have to be something he would need to do himself. “I’ll do it. Just…” He paused for a moment. “Do it with me?”

            Draco smiled softly. “Of course.” He assured him with a quick peck. “I am by your side for anything.”

            “Thank you.” Harry pushed gratitude and love in the bond. He grinned with the way the bond pulsed happily. It wasn’t a happiness from either of them just the bond itself. He honestly had never felt closer to Draco than he did right now. He wondered if it was the knowledge of having more past lives, or perhaps them being the first. Either way, he loved at how vibrant the bond was.

            Draco closed his eyes and drank everything that Harry was offering. “Anytime.” He whispered back. He shook his head to get himself back on track.

            “If we can have them both inside the Ministry trying to find us other people willing to help, then it will be a positive weed that will spread.” Draco wrinkled his nose at his own analogy. “Then with our friends speaking with the other councils, that will spread the movement further.” He nodded his head, trying to keep his thought process going.

            Harry loved the way Draco’s mind worked. He had his own ideas and thoughts about how to proceed but he would wait till later to voice them. He wanted to see how far Draco could get without him. Sometimes Draco thought of things that he never would have.

            “I think we will have to speak to both the Vampire and Incubus council before the month is up.” Draco uttered suddenly. “We need _all_ the help we can get. We can’t afford to have major councils backing out. We have to make them aware of what is going on. We _have_ to make them see reason for the things that are happening.”

            Harry nodded his head as he pushed a wave of soothing emotions to his lover. Draco was getting himself worked up. “Alright. We will research things for their councils and then make an appearance.”

            With Harry’s support, Draco knew that they could do this. They could make the beginning efforts to fixing the world. They would need a lot of help and a lot of fucking luck but with Harry, he would make it.

            “We will have to stay in frequent contact with all of them.” Harry pointed out. “Also, we will have to find an efficient way to talk to the Jinn too.” He paused uncomfortably. “We never did get his name. Is that rude?” He worried his lip.

            Draco grinned widely at Harry. Only his husband would be worried about offending a Shaytan. “Possibly.” He admitted. “We can ask him is name if it makes you feel better.”

            Harry narrowed his eyes at the humor. “Are you patronizing me?”

            “No.” Draco shook his head, trying to soothe wounded feelings. “I just find you utterly adorable.”

            The seriousness in the bond had Harry blushing as he looked away. He had no idea what caused that statement but he wasn’t going to question it.

            Draco thought Harry blushing would always be one of his favorite sights. He knew that if he brought attention to this, his husband would grow more embarrassed. He didn’t want that. “Speaking of our friends. Should we read Kenny’s letter?” Part of him was stalling for his own. He was afraid of what was in the letter. He almost didn’t want to open it.

            “Sure.” Harry admitted but his eyes told Draco that he knew exactly what the blonde was trying to do.

 

 _Dear Draco and Harry,_ **(Our favorite soulmate couple)**

 

_I apologize in advance for several things. The first being that we are interrupting your honeymoon. The second being the letter itself. Everyone insisted on being included in the writing._

_As of right now, we are currently residing in Snámh. Joseph wanted to spend more time with his boyfriend. Circe, boyfriend? Can you believe it? We are still having a hard time believing it ourselves. We couldn’t just leave him alone without us. So of course we bugged him till he said we could go. Not to mention it was also incredibly helpful to our new organization we are trying to build. -Kenny_

_**The problem with the werewolf deaths are increasing. An organization that calls themselves ‘Venadere’ are taking credit for the murders and promising many more to come. A few deaths of other Magical Beings have led us to believe that the bigger picture is not just the death of werewolves. We believe that they will continue past that and seek to destroy Magical Beings all together. The werewolf council has made an effort to come together and have been trying to get other councils involved. -Pyotr**_

Which has led to an international conference of the councils. We are unsure if you are aware of this, but that has never happened. Getting that many different races of Magical Beings in one place is rather difficult. The closest thing in the past was a meeting of five different councils. That isn’t enough for us. We need _all_ the councils to come together. We need everyone to realize that this isn’t a werewolf problem but an everyone problem. -Jake

     **We hate to interrupt your honeymoon for unpleasant circumstances but we really need your help. The two of you are a powerhouse, you both can do things that we can’t. Not just due to your surname but also your positions. We need a voice inside of England. We have several friends around the world that we are attempting to get on our side. This has proved problematic. People are scared of the Venadere. We understand their fear but we _need_ people to be brave. We need people to realize that the fear is only temporary compared to what could happen if the Venadere were to succeed. -Blake**

_Harry, you had said that you had a werewolf friend in England. You seemed to talk about him as if you were close. We would really appreciate it if it was possible to get him involved. We need word to spread in England. We need the werewolves to realize what is happening. There is a blackout coverage when it comes to the deaths. The papers aren’t reporting what they should and they are covering it up with ‘accidents’ or as an ‘unexplained phenomenon’. The problem is growing. We need to make people aware of what is really going on. If your friend can get other werewolves to spread the word to other packs then that is the first step. There is so much that we want to do but unfortunately, we are only six people. (Cian included) If you decide to help, what can the eight of us really do? We want to change the world but worry about the means to accomplish this. How do you stop a flood with a bucket? -Joseph_

_We really do hope that you can provide us with some help. You have no idea how grateful we will be to anything that you can do. Even if it is something small. If you cannot provide any help, then we thank you for your time reading this and we will understand. Please don’t feel pressured to help if it is not possible. We hope your honeymoon has been wonderful so far._

_With much love,_

_Kenny, **Pyotr,**_ Jake, **Blake** _and Joseph._ (The coolest friends you will ever have.)

 

            Despite already being told the majority of this in person, Harry couldn’t stop smiling. It was interesting to see how their personalities came out over the letter. His heart had melted at them saying it was okay if they couldn’t help. Knowing them, they probably would have been understanding if they had chosen to do nothing. Not that they would ever have told them no. He was happy that they had reached out to ask for help.

            Draco grinned at the letter. He wished they could spend more time together. They only had a few days’ time with them all. He really did like their new friends. He sighed thinking back to the letter. He wished that the world wasn’t like this. Dreaming of a different world wouldn’t help anything, though. “This will make things easier.” Draco pointed out as he looked to his husband.

            “With them dealing with the councils and things over in the other countries, it will help us in the long run.” He told Harry. This actually played right into their plans. Having them in their corner would make things easier. He debated about what they should tell them.

            “Do we tell them about the Jinn?” Harry asked when he picked up on Draco’s unease.

            “I don’t know.” Draco admitted. “I think that if we were to be honest with them it might be better. I don’t exactly know what to say. We might have to own up to past lives.” He hated telling others about past lives. This was something solely for them.

            “They already suspect.” Harry pointed out with a shrug. “I want to keep it between us too but it might not be that easy. We can’t really explain the seriousness of the whole situation without bringing up the failure of the other civilizations. We can’t explain that without going into details about our past lives and how we knew him.”

            Harry’s logic was making sense, Draco just didn’t like it. “Alright.” He gave up with a pout. He knew in the larger scheme of things that this was a small thing and that he should just get over it, but he hated telling someone something so personal.

            “Now you are the adorable one.” Teased Harry. He kissed Draco softly before gently placing the last letter in his lover’s hands. He knew that Draco was worried about this but ignoring it wouldn’t solve anything.

            Draco grabbed hold of all of the soothing calm Harry was emitting and held onto it while he braced himself for whatever was inside the letter.

 

_Dear Draco,_

 

_Nonsense. You have not been in neglect as a friend. Letters work both ways, I have been quite busy myself. Both during the summer and after. I miss you as well Draco. Pansy and Blaise are great but they do not have your personality. Hogwarts is just not the same without you. Daphne is a great leader but she is not you. If things were different this year, she might even be close to your level. With the way things are, however, it isn’t enough._

_You asked about my father. With him in Azkaban, I thought things would be easier. I thought that I would be able to live my life the way I had always wanted to, without his opinions. Which I suppose I got what I wished for, only not in the original way I intended. The Ministry is trying to demand compensation for his efforts in the war. They are making claims over my inheritance and have barred any access to it. Luckily, my mother had her own vaults before she passed away or else I would be as poor as a Weasley. Things are difficult in that aspect._

_Living in the shadow of my father is far worse than I thought. When people look at me, they see him. When they take in my features, they see his faults. When they talk to me, they are really seeing the things he has done. No one sees me anymore, not really. It is **so** hard to get people to see past the illusion of my father. It is hard to be taken seriously anymore. No one wants to speak to the son of a deatheater. No one wants to associate with someone like me. As if somehow I am diseased by being his son. _

_When I think of the things my father has done, I can’t blame them for their hatred or their fear. I can’t blame them for the revulsion and the disgust. I can’t blame them for their opinions. I can’t blame them for any of that. I only wish they would realize that I am not him. I wish they would realize that I am my own person. I am not the deatheater they make me out to be. I am not the evil they spew in my face. I am not the monster they warn others of. I am nothing but Theodore. Just me. Why can’t they see that?_

_Enough of my own woes. I apologize. It would appear that we both can get off topic and speak in tangent._

_You do not wish me to speak to Pansy or Blaise of your letter? Surprising turn of events but it is something that I can do. I had wondered why you had not been vocal of things here but it had not crossed my mind that you were unaware. That is not something Pansy and Blaise tend to do. Usually, the three of you are on the same page. I suppose I can understand where they are coming from, they have mentioned that you deserve a happy honeymoon. You do deserve to be happy._

_Is the issue a teacher or Hogwarts itself? Ha. Oh merlin I wish it was just a teacher. Honestly, I would kill to get Umbridge back. At least then it was just one person. At least then it was the school united against her. (Well, mostly.)_

_The problem? How do I put it? The problem is everyone and everything. Prejudice. Hatred. Bullying. Duels, ambushes and sabotage. It always used to be us Slytherins against the other houses but now that is literally what is happening. Every house is fighting us at every step. Spells are cast in the corridors and it is almost always one sided. No matter if we defend ourselves or not, we are the ones being punished. We are the ones being blamed and we are the ones getting detention. We are the victims and being shamed for it. We can’t leave the common room without someone waiting for us. The captains walk their charges to every lesson. Detentions are handed out daily. The teachers witness the attacks and do nothing._

_I suppose that isn’t necessarily true. Professor Lupin, Flitwick, Snape, and Hagrid are the only ones who are helping us. The other teachers turn a blind eye to the bullying. They watch a fight and blame us. They watch us being ambushed and do nothing. Nothing. I can’t fathom what they are thinking about when they do it. Are they confunded? Have they lost it? What excuse is there possible to just walk by injustice and do nothing?_

_This sounds crazy, I know it. But I promise you that it is bad. Gryffindors have always been our biggest contenders but it is nothing like it used to be. I wish the old competitive way it used to be was back. What is funny in a totally non humor situation, is that the Gryffindors aren’t even the worst of them. The Ravenclaws are. Blows my mind sometimes. They should be the smartest of them all, right? They should be the ones to understand that what they are doing is wrong. They should use those smarts and see that they are punishing us for things we have not done._

_Hufflepuffs are vicious. I never in my life had thought I would utter a sentence like that. I regret every deprecating thought I ever had about them. Sweet Salazar, The Dark Lord should have employed more Hufflepuffs if he had wanted to take over the world. Sounds like I am taking the mickey, I am not. Bloodthirsty little things. I don’t know what happened to the sweet and kind Hufflepuffs but they have been replaced._

_At first, I thought it was something in the water. How could the whole school but us be warped into something else? How could we be the only sane ones? I suppose it is somewhat ironic. We used to be the bullies, didn’t we? But Draco, the shite they use against us are something we would never do. Duels where it is at least five on one. Ambushing without proper duel etiquettes.Cutting curses aimed at our faces. Pansy is lucky it only hit her cheek. If that had hit her throat, we would have to bury a friend. She even almost got detention for it. Luckily, Blaise covered for her. But there shouldn’t have to be a luckily, this isn’t how the school should be going._

_So many Slytherins have not returned. So many of our numbers are gone. We had two new first years. Two. Draco, they cried all night for being placed in Slytherin. They are still wary of the whole thing. We are trying to keep up morale. We are trying to show a united front but it gets so hard. You can only be on the defense for so long before the offense corners you. We are barely making it through daily. With so many detentions racking up, we can’t make sure the younger ones are safe._

_When I was in the hospital wing due to Finnegan, my charges suffered. Two of them ended up with split lips. Easy fix but it shouldn’t have to be like this! Parents are pulling their Slytherins out of the school, which makes it harder on us. We need our people. We can’t afford anyone leaving, that makes it that much harder to help the younger ones._

_We aren’t allowed to leave for Hogsmede weekends, eighth year Slytherins aren’t allowed to leave for the night. They cite our bad behavior issues and our detentions as reasons for keeping us in. This feels like a prison combined with a battle field instead of a school. I was stupid for ever coming back. I was stupid for thinking that finishing school was a good idea. Fuck, I was stupid. So stupid._

_You know what makes all of this hard to swallow? The reasons they attack us. Because we are Slytherins. They spit it out like it is the worst thing imaginable. They say it like we are the makers of hell and every bad thing to ever cross the earth. They say it as if we are the reasons The Dark Lord attacked. They say it as if **we** are The Dark Lord. They believe the war is somehow **our** fault. We are children. We did not fight them. We are not responsible for the evil of the world. They think of the war and the first thing that comes to mind is Slytherins. It is as if they have forgotten that Slytherins weren’t the only people The Dark Lord employed. Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaw and a few Gryffindors all participated in his side. Where is the blind eye coming from?_

_Slytherin. The word used to represent home, unity, love and family. The word used to mean so much to us all and now it is the monster in the mirror. Fuck, it is so hard to not resent what we are. It is so hard to continue daily when no matter what we do, we are attacked, degraded and looked down upon. I have never experienced such hatred like this in my life. Oh I have seen it, it reminds me of what Magical Creatures go through. I suppose humility is something I have learned as of late. Sometimes it takes an eye opener to how one is treated to realize certain aspects to how you yourself treat others. What I am getting at, is that I never realized what a problem prejudice was until I felt it for myself. The world is messed up and it isn’t just inside of Hogwarts._

_I have it worse because of who my father is but that is to be expected. I knew going into the new year that I would be looked at differently, I just didn’t expect this. I didn’t think that this is what Hogwarts would have turned into. I worry for your reentry into school. You will be a target, not only for who your father is but your own status as a deatheater. Not to mention your escape of any sentence in the Wizengamot. Also, there is a lot of talk of corrupting Potter. They believe you have taken their savior and twisted him into your ‘warped’ ideals. Although, a lot of them discard your marriage entirely. No one wants to believe the two of you are actually together. I don’t know if announcing it inside the Quibbler was the best idea._

_Part of me wonders what the school would be like if Dumbledore was still alive. Would he allow the horrors to continue? Or would he have handled it differently. McGonagall is not handling things well. She is daft to the happenings of our suffering. I don’t know if that is intentional or an accidental stupidity. Either way, she is not doing what she should as our headmaster._

_This letter is longer than I intended but you did ask me to be honest with you. I suppose I will leave off right here. I could write essays on what is going on. Just know that we are not okay and that things are getting worse. Hogwarts is not what it used to be nor are the people who are attending. Prejudice is real and it extends past what I thought it would. Teachers aren’t teaching when they leave out parts of their responsibility. Unity is hard to maintain when the opposition is coming at you from every point._

_I won’t ask you to come back. I believe that Pansy and Blaise had the best intentions when not telling you of any of this. I know that you will be upset and angry. But keep in mind that we all just want you to be happy. Do what you will, if that means coming back early, then I will see you soon. If you stay on your honeymoon, then I will see you when you get back. Either way, I can’t wait to see you again. You have been missed by more than just me._

_Love,_

_Theo_

_P.S. Challenges may be something you like, but you won’t be able to keep up with my numbers. You will have to admit defeat if you enter a challenge with me._

            Harry barely had any time to process the whole letter before he was clutching the desk in front of him. Anger. So much anger was seething inside of the bond. It was startling in the intensity. It felt hot, as if their was no cover in the middle of a desert.

            Draco gripped the letter so tightly, he wondered if it would break. Never in his life had he been this angry. He had felt anger from Harry that rivaled it and sometimes exceeded it but he himself had never been like this. “ _My_ Slytherins?” He breathed heavily through his nose, trying to calm down. He couldn’t believe it.

            “Love?” Harry asked hesitantly as he turned to his husband. He gently placed his hands on Draco’s chest. He knew better than to push any emotions into the bond. Draco was pissed and nothing he did was going to solve it.

            Draco snapped his head up to stare at Harry. “They are hurting my Slytherins.” His eyes narrowed as he thought about how wrong that was. What kind of mental disease did they all have to take out their frustrations on a bunch of children? People who had _nothing_ to do with the war?

            “I know.” Harry whispered as he ran his palms.

            “Why?” Draco choked out in his anger. “What did they do besides be who they are?” He clenched his fists angrily. He could feel his magic pick up and lash out.

            Harry covered his face with his hands when the window right next to him busted. Draco’s magic was out of control. He could feel the swirling energy of it in the air, he could feel how wild it was and he knew that Draco wasn't entirely aware of it.

            “If they want to take it out on deatheaters then they should visit Azkaban. Fuck, they can talk to me if they want an argument.” Draco shook his head. “The younger kids don’t have a single thing to do with the war. Even the ones our age are innocent.” He wasn’t aware of anything outside of his anger. He walked to the bed and placed his head in his hands.

            Harry bit his lip as he extracted a stray piece of glass. He himself was having a hard time containing his own anger. What in the world was going on inside of Hogwarts? Why were the teachers turning a blind eye? What was going on with McGonagall?

            “Why the fuck wouldn’t they have told us?” Draco nearly yelled. “Not just Pansy and Blaise but the rest of them!” He snapped his head up to glare at the wall. “They all knew and didn’t tell us. Fuck.” He swore. “We knew they were being weird but I didn’t think they were hiding this!” He looked down to the letter and closed his eyes as he imagined what the students must be feeling. To have the rest of the school turn to physical attacks just because of the house you were sorted into? He couldn't imagine what the little ones were feeling. He ached for them. It wasn't right.

            “I can’t believe I wasn’t there to do something. I can’t believe I wasn’t there to save any of them.” His eyes stung a little at the worthlessness that sprang up.

            “Draco.” Harry stopped trying to get more glass out of palm so that he could look at his husband. He waited until pain filled eyes landed on his own. “You cannot blame yourself. You did not know what was going on. You can blame those who are involved and that is it.” He told him firmly.

            “But-” Draco was cut off by Harry’s voice.

            “No. No buts. This isn’t on you nor are you responsible. The only thing you can do now is move forward. We go back and we do what we can.”

            The truth in Harry’s words were ringing in his ears but he didn’t want to hear the truth. He was so angry. The anger wanted an outlet. He wanted to scream at someone or something. His magic was barely keeping in check. He sighed heavily in a weak attempt at keeping himself in line. He was about to argue when he felt physical pain in the bond.

            Draco looked up and his anger vanished the moment he saw the glass in Harry’s hand. “Oh baby.” He rushed forward and gently took Harry’s hand. “I did this.” He whispered a little choked up as he summoned the glass out. He was angry at himself for not noticing that he had hurt Harry earlier. He was angry at himself for letting his anger get the best of him.

            Harry blinked at that. He was annoyed that he hadn’t thought of summoning it out. He had thought that maybe it would have made things worse. The guilt in the bond had him looking to his lover.

            “It’s alright.” Harry whispered. He did not like the look in those beautiful silver eyes. “You didn’t mean to.”

            Draco looked at the blown-out window with a heavy heart. Hurting Harry didn’t sit well with him. He waved his hand and repaired the window before he summoned his potions kit to put a healing salve on Harry’s palm.

            As the skin was healing, Draco pressed kisses to the injured hand. Harry’s heart fluttered with each kiss. Even in the wake up such anger, Draco still showed Harry love.

            “I’m sorry.” Draco whispered when the skin was fully healed. He pressed a kiss to the side of Harry’s mouth. “I will try and keep my anger in check.”

            Harry shook his head. “No.” He argued. “I don’t want you to. If you keep it in check then you are only suppressing it. Your anger needs to come out. I would suggest channeling it differently.” He supplied.  

            When Draco still looked unsure, Harry wrapped him in his arms. “You need your anger right now. The injustice to the Slytherins needs your anger. You need to keep what is going on in the back of your mind, just use the anger as your energy fueling you.”

            The mere mention of what was happening was enough to get his anger spiking again. Draco breathed through the anger and had his magic flow around him instead of shooting out at inanimate objects.

            The magic vibrating around Draco was heady. Harry blinked rapidly at it. He reached out gently with his own magic to see what would happen. He smiled when Draco’s magic welcomed him in with an almost mental caress. Even in Draco’s anger, their magic still connected.

            “We have to go back.” Draco half begged, half demanded. When Harry agreed readily, he sighed in relief.

            “I don’t like leaving our honeymoon early.” Draco admitted as he summoned their bags.

            “Neither do I.” Harry admitted. “But we can always travel right after we graduate. Before we continue with Wizard Law.”

            With that thought in mind, Draco nodded his head and apparated them out. He half wondered if he would control his magic when they landed, or let them feel his displeasure. He couldn’t wait to give the whole fucking school a lesson. He hoped he had read the letter wrong, because if someone had hurt Pansy, they would wish they hadn’t.

            The anger in the bond was actually a little comforting to Harry. He loved that Draco cared so much to get angry. Oh, he himself was angry but not like this. This anger was something else. He wondered if this is what a small portion of the Darkness’ anger had felt like. It was interesting to feel such anger. He knew that Draco would have a lot to say when they landed, he would be right behind him, offering support the best that he could. He couldn’t wait till they landed. Hogwarts would be in for a rude awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyy. 
> 
> I am going in order of letters. Andrew... he is a man after my own heart. I tend to be awkward in social standings and I say things that I find myself second guessing myself. I found him utterly adorable though. My little Hufflepuff that I wanted to keep in my pocket. That sounded creepy. Nevermind, I just found him adorable. His family though, are a bunch of dicks. Now, Malaysia was somewhere that they went on their honeymoon. *Nudge Nudge* So that is where he first heard of them. Harmania was a play on several words. Him wanting to change the world but not having the means to, that right there is what a lot of people feel. Even in todays world. People want to change the world but just don't know what to do. 
> 
> You know me, I can't not have a cuddly moment in there somewhere. Draco having doubts over whether he would one day be a father is cute to me. He would make great parent. I was running out of traits to use in those house descriptors lol. I had to get creative. If some of those were obviously synonyms... well no one has to know. :P 
> 
> Okay, duality is something to keep in mind with Lucius. Yes, my Lucius has come a long way but he is still a bastard. His parenting skills need work and unfortunately, Draco is an adult now, making there not much he can do to fix his mistakes. His mistakes in the past don't exactly define him but his thoughts on the issues do. If that makes sense. Lucius is a bastard but a lovable one. Duality. He has questionable ideals but does truly love his family. There is more to him than the surface level. He is a character you love in sections and disagree with the rest. 
> 
> Thoughts on Draco suggesting Harry ask Mr. Weasley? I will leave my opinion out of it, I want to know yours. 
> 
> My Singapore boys. I debated about having them just read it and describe their thoughts after it, without showing you it. But I didn't like that. I wanted to show their different inputs. I ran out of different types of lettering and had to repeat the italics. I suppose I could have underlined Joseph's paragraph but I didn't like the way it looked. Yes, it was basically the same thing that was said in person but to me it was interesting enough to write out. A few things were worded differently and weren't said in person. 
> 
> Now, Theo's letter. That one was longer than I intended as well. Emotions tend to extend things. Oh well. There were parts in there that hurt me and then angered me. I was feeling what he was saying and hopefully you were as well. There was a lot that he could have said, he didn't exactly gloss over details but he didn't go into as much depth as I would have liked. Anyone else notice that he didn't even respond to Draco talking about how happy Harry makes him? *Snort* I figured that was asking too much of him. 
> 
> Draco's anger. It is to be expected and I get it. If you are wondering why Harry isn't as angry, well I thought it was obvious. He doesn't know the Slytherins like Draco does nor does he have the same connection. Oh, he is still angry, don't misunderstand me. He just isn't as deeply rooted as Draco is. This is definitely a moment where Draco is the one who gets to vent out his anger and his feelings. I will still have Harry's input here and there for the next bit, but Draco has some shit he has to say. 
> 
> Okay, thoughts? Questions? Let me know. 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


	18. Blatant Warnings and a Surprising Ally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you start reading this chapter, a few might groan or say, 'seriously'. But, I would like you to be patient and read it. I am not giving you a filler chapter, no matter how it may appear. There is actually some key points in this chapter that matter. *Hint* *Nudge* *Wink* Alright I am going to stop. Just read the chapter.
> 
> Enjoy

           “But she’s a werewolf!” The statement was said with so much disgust that it should have made Abigail feel small. It should have made her feel bad, it should have made her retreat in on herself or to start hating who she is again. It should have… but it didn’t. As she sat in the middle of the Headmistresses office, surrounded by every teacher in the school, she felt nothing but anger. Who are they to judge her? Who are they to act as if she is some diseased rabid animal? As if she was a harm to someone outside of the full moon. As if she was something for them to sneer at like some second-class citizen.

            She had to marvel at her own line of thinking. Just days ago, the statement would have made her shrink and the loathing that is always readily available in her mind would have doubled. Abigail had been sheltered her whole life, it was only her father and the rare occasional visitor. Her own hatred of her existence had seemed so vast that the idea of other people out there thinking the same thing used to cripple her mindset. But when faced with _actual_ prejudice, it had the opposite impact. What gave them the right to treat her like that? Who did they think they were?

            Abigail squared her shoulders and didn’t bother turning around to see who had said that. She knew it was her aunt and surprisingly enough, there wasn’t any pain at the words. She had known long ago that her aunt was someone who would never accept her if she had known the truth. That was alright. So far, the only positive thing about the day was the fact that no one had suspected she was someone else. The new identity that Remus and Severus provided for her had passed inspection. Spells had been cast by some of the suspicious teachers, those who had a hard time believing there was a letter with her name on it that had supposedly gone unnoticed. She couldn’t blame their line of thinking but had grinned internally when their spells came up empty.

            The new identity wasn’t bad, it was just letting go of a piece of who she is. Losing her name felt like losing a limb. It made everything more real. As if changing her appearance was just for fun. But changing her name? That sent everything into perspective. She was no longer Abigail Williams. She would never answer to that name again.

            Adeline Taylor. She wasn’t in love with the name but she didn’t hate it either. She had been surprised when they didn’t steer away from a name starting with an ‘A’. Severus had just said that it was enough of a difference from Abigail that it didn’t matter if it started the same way. Also, he reckoned they could call her Addie and that was close enough to Abbie, which is what her father called her. If she concentrated on not listening to the syllables when they said Addie that she could _almost_ remember what it was like to have her father say Abbie. Almost.

            Abigail raised her chin in the air and looked the Headmistress straight on. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything, Ma’am.” There was a silence that greeted her statement and she reveled in it. Good, that meant they were at least listening.

            “I am under the impression that there is a werewolf on your staff as well.” She pointed out. “If he can make persuasions every month, why can’t I?” She questioned. “We could even go through the cycle together.” She offered with a shrug. That would be something she would enjoy. Her father had always locked her away during the full moon. Which had a negative impact on her inner wolf. They weren’t meant to be locked up or caged in. They were built to run and explore. They were meant to be free. If they had the wolfsbane potion, they would be safe to run the Forbidden Forest. It would be fun to have someone with her for that.

            “Also.” She continued when no one responded. Abigail narrowed her eyes at the Headmistress when the lady wasn’t showing any reactions. “It is _illegal_ to deny me entrance due to the fact I am a werewolf.”

            That seemed to do the trick. She watched the Headmistress sit up straight and level a calculating look at her.

            “If we take percussions, I see no reason to deny a student willing to learn.” Minerva said with a tilt of her head. She was intrigued by the girl enough to let this go. She didn’t want to have to face an inquiry if they were to bar her admittance.

            “But Minerva.” Charlotte piped up with furrowed brows. “What will the other children think?”

            Remus growled lowly in his throat, startling the other teachers. “They _won’t_ be thinking anything, since her status as a werewolf won’t go past this room.” There was a threat to his tone of voice that had everyone raising their brows.

            “The students have a right to know.” Charlotte argued back hotly, getting in Remus’s face. “The parents have a right to know what is being admitted entry. This isn’t a secret we should be keeping.”

            Severus had to hold onto his lover’s hand firmly when it looked as if Remus might lunge at her. 

            “You talk as if I am not here.” Abigail spoke up, still not turning around to look at her aunt. “There is no reason that my status should be leaked out to the rest of the school. I am not something they need to fear. I am not a problem outside of the full moon. A few days out of thirty has made you see me as something I just am not. I am not a monster.” Her voice was wavering the longer she spoke. This was harder than she thought it would be. How hypocritical was it that she was lecturing her aunt for saying the very same things she has thought herself?

           “If you would like.” Remus began with anger clearly heard. “We can go on record with your opinions and I can see if the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures will sanction a teacher who is so _obviously_ biased towards Magical Creatures. To think that you would even _suggest_ letting her status slip is a violation of several laws.”

            The glare Charlotte was leveling Remus was one that might have had weaker men relenting but he was serious. He wasn’t a fan of the Ministry, nor did he think that they would actually do their job but the threat was still powerful.

            The silence was broken by a loud crash, splintered wood, heavy panting and mumbled swearing.

            “Sorry. Sorry. I outta o’ known that would happen.” Hagrid apologized as he sent the broken chair regretful looks. “Blimey, they are brittle aren’ they?” When no one said anything, he rubbed his beard nervously.

            Abigail had turned around at the noise and was surprised to see the large man. She sniffed the air discreetly and her brows rose in surprise. Hybrid giant. Hmmm. That was interesting. She was beginning to like Hogwarts more and more.

            Hagrid smiled warmly at the girl. “Me name ‘s Hagrid. Welcome to Hogwarts.”

            “Adeline.” Abigail said without a single grimace this time. It was getting easier to pretend.  

            Minerva cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention back on her. She sent Remus a warning look while also shaking her head towards Charlotte. “There will be no need for threats.” She chided before looking to Charlotte. “Miss Taylor’s status as a werewolf will not leave this office.” The warning was clear.

            “What are we supposed to tell the students when they ask where she is?” Matthew Jameson spoke up. “They are going to notice that she is leaving for a few days out of the month.”

            “Why not have her leave during the fool moon and then also later in the month for a day or two?” Severus asked as if it was obvious. “If she is only _ever_ gone during the full moon, it won’t matter what excuse we give, it will be obvious.” He paused to stare rather unimpressed at everyone. “Logically it makes sense to have her gone for another small-time period as well.”

            “So she gets rewarded with time away from the school for being a werewolf?” Charlotte’s voice was full of outrage.

            Remus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because all of this is just a walk in the park.” He ignored her glare. “She can go home to her parents’ home for those two extra days. She will still have the same homework of the other students. It isn’t like we are saying to just let her have two free days where she does nothing.”

            Abigail’s eyes widened. Home? She didn’t have a home. What was Remus playing at? She caught Severus’s eyes and relaxed at the calm warning in them. He was telling her that they had it covered.

            Minerva made a thoughtful noise as she thought it over. “Any thoughts on this?” She addressed the room at large. Not as if she needed their input or approval but it was always nice to hear what her teachers had to say.

            “I disagree with it all.” Abigail barely kept her groan from escaping at her aunt’s words.

            “Noted.” Minerva retorted with a shake of her head. “You have made that quite clear.” A few teachers chuckled.

            “I have made my decision.” Minerva stated when no one else voiced an opinion. “Adeline.” She looked to the second year with a small smile. “Welcome to Hogwarts.” She held out her hand for the girl to shake.

            Abigail breathed a sigh of relief before extending her hand politely. They did it. They actually did it. She wanted to jump for joy but chose not to. That could wait until later.

            “What about her sorting?” One of the teachers in the back asked when everyone had stood up.

            “Ah.” Minerva paused for a moment. “I suppose we could sort her at dinner tonight.” She sent an apologetic look to the girl. “Normally it would be an entire year of students getting sorted but with you coming so late, you will have to be the only one.”

            Abigail wrinkled her nose but chose not to say anything. She just nodded her head. She didn’t like this idea. She would’ve rather had the sorting in here instead of in front of the whole school.

            A noise had everyone looking up at interest towards a clock on the wall. “That will be lunch.” Minerva ushered everyone out of the room.

            Abigail waited until the other teachers passed before she made her way to Remus and Severus. She could barely contain her excitement. A hard look from Severus had her looking to the floor. She knew that she couldn’t break cover so she kept quiet.

            “Pansy and Blaise should be in the Great Hall for lunch.” Remus told her gently. “I think they had some homework to get done but they said they wanted to hear how the meeting went.”

            Seeing her new friends had Abigail’s excitement flaring back up. “What are we waiting for?” She asked impatiently. “Let’s go.” She didn’t even wait for them to follow along before she was running down the corridor and dodging the students she found to be going too slow for her liking.

            Severus sighed heavily as he looked to Remus. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

            Remus could hear the teasing glint to his voice and he smiled warmly at him. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a few third years looking at him oddly. He knew that they thought it was odd that anyone would smile at Severus willingly. He wished people could see that his lover had more sides to him than just surly and mean.

            “I am not entirely sure.” Remus retorted with a shake of his head. “But I am intrigued enough to want to find out.”

            The smile his lover sent his way, had Severus wishing he could take him into his arms. He couldn’t wait until the year was over and he was done with teaching. They would be able to be expressive without worrying about nosy students.

            “Any thoughts on which house she will be in?” Severus wondered as they reached the doors to the Great Hall.

            “Hmm.” Remus hummed in thought as he waved at Pansy and Blaise. He smiled when he noticed that Abigail was seated between the two of them. He could see her rapidly talking and he was glad that the two of them had taken her under their wings. “I was thinking Slytherin or possibly Ravenclaw.”

            Severus hoped she wasn’t in Slytherin. Not because he wouldn’t welcome her, no, he feared for what could happen to her. His house was not the best place to be as of yet. She did have qualities that he thought would make a great Slytherin.

            “I was thinking perhaps Gryffindor.” Severus added his own thoughts. “But I do see the merit of the other two as well.”

            Remus had not considered Gryffindor but now that he thought about it, he could see her inside that house too. He loved trying to figure out where students would go. He did not envy the sorting hat one bit. It would be rather hard to decipher through someone’s ideals and personality enough to fit them in one house.

            Severus winced when they made it to the head table and noticed that Pansy, Blaise and Abigail were all laughing. “They are going to corrupt her.” He whispered.

            The statement had Remus letting out a startled laugh. He ignored the curious looks from the students and the teachers near them. He knew that they suspected something was going on between the two of them.

            Remus looked back to the Slytherin table to see the three in question back in a discussion. His guess was it must have something to do with their shop, because Blaise’s hands were moving rapidly as he spoke. There were only a few things that Blaise was passionate about and Remus had a hunch that that was what they were talking about.

            “You might be right.” Remus admitted with a grin as he looked back to his lover. “Would that be so bad?”

            “Yes.” Severus answered immediately. “It would. We already have the quartet. Do we need a mini me version of the four of them?” He shuddered at the thought. “What a nightmare. We shouldn’t have let her near them.”

            Remus threw his head back and laughed warmly. “We could always use their ability to find laughter in all situations though.” Remus pointed out as he tried to control his grin. “The quartet always has a joke that makes one smile.”

            “I beg to differ.” Severus scoffed. “I can count on one hand the number of times they have made me smile.”  He argued his point. “One time and that was only when George was afraid of me.”

            Remus hid a smug smile behind his pumpkin juice. Severus wasn’t one to smile, unless it was just the two of them. He loved that he was able to get expressions out of his partner. “What about smiling on the inside?” He countered.

            Severus leveled him with an unimpressed stare and an arched brow. “Does it look like I smile internally?”

            Remus snorted, causing his pumpkin juice to go down wrong. He coughed a couple times trying to clear his throat. He noticed that Severus seemed pleased with his ability to make him laugh. He would have said something but his pipes weren’t quite up for that yet.

            “Are you alright?” Severus asked as he hit Remus’s back in a few pats. He was amused with the whole thing.

            Before Remus could say anything, a voice next to them interrupted.

            “Have cheering charms been affecting you both?” Filius asked as he sat down next to Remus. “I can’t imagine Severus here is the cause.” There was a teasing quality to his tone that had Severus rolling his eyes.

            “I assure you Filius, I am a riot.” The deadpan way he spoke had Filius and Remus snorting.

            “It would see that I stand corrected.” Filius shook his head with a smile as he piled his plate full of food. “I only asked since my fourth years were practicing them in a revision as homework and I feared you had somehow gotten on the wrong side of one.”

            Remus had to bite his lip to stop from smiling at the indignant noise his partner released.

            “Are you suggesting that a simple fourth year had bested me and managed to place a cheering charm on me?” The dangerous quality to Severus’s voice should have made Filius wary but the man seemed to find it funny.

            “Yes.” Filius’s lips quivered. “I do suppose that is what I am implying.” He shared a look with Remus and they both couldn’t contain their laughter.

            Severus sighed heavily as their horrible attempt at muffling their chuckles permeated the table. “Why do I insist on torturing myself with the two of you on a daily basis?” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

            “Ah, don’ say that.” Hagrid’s loud voice boomed around them as he sat down on Filius’s left. Severus really did groan this time. Three against one were horrible odds, especially when dealing with this lot.

            “Hagrid.” Remus and Filius said in a pleased voice.

            “You are just in time for our discussion.” Remus couldn’t hide his amusement.

            “Yes.” Filius added. “We were discussing the possibility of a fourth year getting the best of Severus.” They both ignored the slight growl Severus released.

            Hagrid’s brows rose and he chuckled nervously. “I ‘spect the odds are slim.” He admitted honestly.

            “Thank you, Hagrid.” Severus sent him a firm nod of approval as he shot the two still chuckling glares.

           

~~

            “I can’t wait to see the shop.” Abigail breathed out with a little awe. The stories Pansy and Blaise had told her about the products were making her imagination go off the charts.

            “Just wait till you meet Fred and George.” Blaise felt a pang of longing fill him when he thought of his lover and friend. He knew he had just seen them yesterday but that had been the first day in nearly a month that they had contact outside of owls and a few firecalls.

            “They sound pretty interesting.” She looked between Pansy and Blaise and noticed the sad looks between her friends. “You are dating George, right?” She asked Blaise. When he looked disgusted, she knew she had successfully distracted him.

            “Salazar no.” Blaise shook his head vehemently. That was wrong on so many levels. “Fred is my boyfriend.” He sighed happily at the thought of his red headed monstrosity.

            Pansy snorted at how quickly Blaise went from grossed out to a sappy idiot. She traded an amused look with Abigail.  

            “Weasleys?” The doubtful voice had them looking up.

            Abigail looked at the new girl in interest. There was a smell to her that was intriguing. The girl wasn’t a Magical Creature. That much she knew. But there was definitely a certain smell to her that let Abigail know that the girl had recently been touched by one. The heady smell surrounding her was enough to let her know that it was probably a significant other.

            Pansy grinned at Millicent. “I haven’t told you?” It wasn’t all that surprising. There hadn’t been many opportunities to gossip lately.

            “Millie, I am dating George Weasley.” A few heads turned towards her at the statement. She looked up to see that a few Ravenclaws at the next table over had heard her. She ignored them.

            Millicent arched a brow. “And you are dating the other twin of terror?” She asked Blaise.

            Pansy and Blaise snorted at the title. Blaise nodded while he made a mental note to let Fred and George know of this new name. He knew they would both love it.

            “Huh.” Millicent furrowed her brows. “I am surprised.” She admitted with a shrug. “But I am more intrigued than anything.”

            “What about you?” Abigail asked. She knew it was rude to ask before introducing herself but she was fascinated by the smell wafting off the other girl. She leaned forward in the ruse of reaching for a roll, she breathed deeply and her brows rose in surprise at the new smell. Vampire. The girl most likely had a Vampire as a significant other.

            “Who are you?” Millicent retorted instead of replying. “I have never seen you before.”

            Abigail grinned. “Adeline Taylor. I just transferred today.” She reached out and shook the other girl’s hand.

            “Are you in Slytherin?” Millicent wondered as she looked at the girl. “What are you a first year?”

            “Second year.” Abigail corrected. “I will be sorted at dinner.” She furrowed her brows when the girl seemed upset.

            “Dang. I was hoping you would be one of my charges.”

            Pansy noticed Abigail’s confusion. “Millicent is a captain for the Slytherin first years.”

            “That didn’t clear anything up.” Abigail retorted dryly with an arched brow.

            “Great, she is already taking after Severus.” Blaise mumbled. “Like we need another one of him.”

            They spent the remainder of lunch explaining the hierarchy and rules of the Slytherin house, just in case that is where she would be placed.

            Abigail wasn’t sure which house she wanted to go into. She had always thought that going to Hogwarts as a fantasy. Something she dreamed about before falling asleep on lonely nights. So she had never really given much thought to the actual houses. Gryffindor didn’t seem too bad but she didn’t fancy herself as being very brave. Hufflepuff was alright but she didn’t think she would get along with other Hufflepuffs if she was placed there. Ravenclaw sounded like somewhere where she might meet others who liked to learn as much as she did. She had watched a few of them earlier and they looked a little stuck up though.

            Slytherin seemed like it would be a lot of fun but the looks the other students were giving them made her question being placed in that house. She didn’t understand the hostility that seemed to be going on. Abigail told herself to ask Pansy or Blaise about it later. For now, she was going to enjoy talking to the other students. She grinned when she heard laughter coming from the teacher’s tables. She smiled at the exasperated expression on Severus’s face while Remus seemed to be overflowing with happiness. If this is what Hogwarts was like, she would grow to really like it here.

 

* * *

 

 

 

            Eyes. There were too many eyes upon Abigail. She didn’t like it one bit. The moment McGonagall had stood up and started telling the students of her transfer, it was as if everyone had forgotten that it was rude to stare. Had their parents taught them nothing?

            As the headmistress droned on, Abigail tried counting all of the rude people but she lost count after awhile. When there was an odd silence, it took a moment for her to realize that McGonagall was done talking and was staring expectantly at her. Crap. Was she supposed to say something? There wasn’t going to be a test was there? Because she couldn’t remember a single word of the woman’s speech. Tests weren't her thing.

            The stool in front of the table, near the center, had her deducing that she was supposed to sit there. She marched over to the chair and swallowed uncomfortably at the stares that were still directed at her. Merlin, she didn’t like this.

            She felt something being dropped on her head and knew that it was the sorting hat. It was a tad too big and went past her eyes, which she was grateful for, since it was blocking out the other students.

            _‘Unusual.’_ A voice whispered into her mind. _‘Transfer student does not suit you.’_ There was a slight pause that had Abigail’s heart race increasing.

            _‘Not to worry. Secrets of the mind do not escape me. No one will know what I see. Hmmm. Loyalty in spades. Bravery in silence. Knowledge in abundance. Cunning in disguise. Difficult to place.’_

Abigail wasn’t sure what to make of that. She didn’t have a preference for any particular house. She would be satisfied with any in the end.

            _‘No input or desires. Interesting. Better be….’_

_“RAVENCLAW!”_ The hat yelled in her head and out loud for everyone to hear.

            Abigail heard the sound of clapping hands before the hat was lifted off her head. She made her way towards the Ravenclaw table. She waved to Pansy and Blaise as she passed. When she sat down and looked at the people nearby, she furrowed her brows at the less than pleased looks on their faces.

            “What?” She demanded to know. Not even seconds into her new house and the people were less than friendly.

            “You can’t be friends with Slytherins while in Ravenclaw house.” A boy who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen spoke up in an air of authority.

            “Says who?” She retorted. “They have been nice to me.” She could see the chances of friends slowly slipping away. She sighed internally. Oh well. Quality not quantity. She would be happy with just her Slytherin friends.

            “That isn’t how it is done.” The boy narrowed his eyes as he gestured to his prefect badge. “ _I_ say so.” He added pompously before turning around and ending the conversation.

            “Ignore him.” A dreamy voice drifted next to her. Abigail startled slightly. She couldn’t remember the girl being there when she sat down. The girl’s blonde hair was flowing freely and blue eyes only met her gaze for a moment before wandering all over the room.

            “The winged parstilios are suffocating his mental capacity and making it too drafty.”

            Abigail blinked rapidly at the odd girl. She tilted her head to the side as she tried to come up with something to say. She watched in fascination as the girl nodded her head, as if Abigail had responded somehow.

            “Oh yes.” Luna agreed. “I don’t quite know what to say about him either.”

            Abigail snorted in surprise. She wasn’t sure what to think of this girl. But she did seem a hell of a lot friendlier than the prefect.

            “Luna Lovegood.” There was no handshake, only a small smile as the girl’s eyes still wandered around the room. Abigail had to wonder if the girl ever really looked anyone in the eye.

            “Adeline Taylor.”

            Luna tilted her head back and forth. “Sort of.”

            Abigail quickly looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention. She was panicking on the inside. Had she made a mistake somewhere?

            “Don’t fret.” Luna chided gently as she began humming a tune. “I am here to be a friend not a foe.”

            “Friend.” Abigail repeated slowly. She eyed the odd girl with consideration. It would take some getting used to if she was actually going to be this girl’s friend. Normal she was not. That is for sure.

            “Look.” Luna pointed at the head table without turning her gaze from where they had latched onto watching the closed doors of the Great Hall. “Something is happening.”

            Sure enough, when Abigail followed Luna’s finger, she saw that the Sorting hat was wiggling out of McGonagall’s hand. It flopped on the floor and opened its mouth.

 

“ _Years ago I warned you,_

_Heed me you did not._

_The words were not a falsity or constructed misconception._

_I spoke of the signs and the known perils,_

_That were plainly written on the walls._

_I requested unity and hoped you would prevail._

_Instead of understanding and cohabitation,_

_Hogwarts is wrought with nothing but hostility and fear._

_Foes and enemies alike,_

_Seek to destroy, in the plight of saving humanity._

_How wrong they are and blinded by near insanity._

_Things are not as they seem nor are they alright,_

_Despite the coverage of those who write._

_Change is coming while history is repeating._

_People are dying and magic is awoken._

_You all have a part to play,_

_Whether that path be destruction or restoration._

_Instead of dealing in facts and imploring the truth,_

_I beg of you to sit up straight, open your ears and listen to my words._

_For if unity cannot be found and the disrupt continues,_

_This will be the last time we gather and my silence will be deafening._

_Hogwarts will be no more, society will crumble and the world shall cease to be._

_Take my words at face value and let this be a lesson for all,_

_For I fear the consequences if I have to watch you fall.”_

 

           The silence that followed the sorting hat’s words really was deafening. Pansy shared a startled look with Blaise. Neither of them could ever remember the sorting hat singing without an actual sorting before. This wasn’t the first time the hat had been known to give out warnings but they had all assumed the last warning had been over The Dark Lord.

            Whispers broke out everywhere as students tried deciphering just what exactly the hat could have meant. What danger was coming? What enemies? How would unity solve anything?

            “Unity.” The Ravenclaw prefect sneered. “We are united. Us against them.” He jerked his thumb towards the Slytherin table.

            Abigail rolled her eyes before gnawing on her bottom lip.

            “ _Venadere_.” Abigail whispered before snapping her head up to make sure that no one else had heard her. She relaxed when no one was paying her any mind. Her new housemates were watching McGonagall take the hat away.   

            “Yes.” Luna whispered just as lowly.

            Abigail turned wide eyes to the blonde girl, who was staring at the doors as if she was waiting for someone.

            “They are only the beginning.” Luna declared in a serious voice. A tone that Abigail instantly disliked. For some reason, this girl wasn’t meant to be serious.

            Abigail thought over the statement with a thoughtful hum. It made sense. She had thought the hat’s warning had been a bit too… disastrous for it to be just the Venadere. The destruction of the world? That seemed out of the _Venadere’s_ pay grade. She looked back to Luna, only to wrinkle her nose at the determined stare the girl had at the doors.

            “Are you expecting someone?”

            A mysterious smile played along Luna’s lips. “You could say that.”

            Abigail pouted as she let out a little noise of frustration. What was with the vague answers? Perhaps this friendship thing was considered too soon.

            “Evening mail has arrived.” Luna declared suddenly in a sing-sing tone.

            The words caused Abigail to look up but there weren’t any owls coming in. She was about to dispute the statement when suddenly a flock of owls came pouring in. She blinked rapidly before starting at Luna in bewilderment. How in the world had the girl known that? Despite the frustrating lack of a solid conversation, Abigail couldn’t help but take a liking to Luna. The girl was interesting in ways Abigail had never encountered before.

            “I thought most mail came in the morning.” Questioned Abigail as she watched several people around the Great Hall catch items being dropped by owls.

            “Conforming to a routine can be boring.”

            Abigail opened her mouth in confusion. What did that even mean?

            “What she means.” Began a fond voice. “Is that usually only the evening paper of the _Daily Prophet_ is delivered.”

            Abigail looked up to see a boy sit right across from Luna. He appeared to be the same age as Luna or possibly older. He had on Gryffindor robes. She arched a brow at his explanation. How in the world did he decipher her statement into that?

            “Neville Longbottom.” Neville looked to the girl next to Luna curiously. Usually, Luna doesn’t associate with her housemates. He wondered what was different about this one to warrant her attention. He had noticed that the girl had made friends with Pansy and Blaise as well. He was definitely curious.

            “Adeline Taylor.” She extended her hand out to the boy as she shot Luna a narrowed look. She wasn’t sure if the girl would tell her friend about her real name.

            “Friend, not foe.” Luna repeated a little less dreamily than she had been before. Abigail wondered if she had insulted her somehow with her doubts.

            Neville reached his hand up to catch his paper from the owl. He dug out a few knuts and made sure to place it securely in the pouch tied to its leg. He normally wouldn’t even bother reading the horrible thing but Luna insisted it was wise to know what the misinformed reported.

            Several loud exclamations drew Abigail’s attention just as Neville let out a choked noise. She looked alarmed at the suddenly shocked or angry people around the room. “What?” She asked curiously. When Neville didn’t respond, she looked to Luna but of course the girl was still staring at the stupid doors.

            Pansy choked on her pumpkin juice when she read the head line of the _Evening Prophet_. Blaise looked over and wheezed in horror as he too began to read.

 

                     **Draco Malfoy Saves Harry Potter’s Life**

 

**_This was just reported in from several contacts across seas. Earlier this morning on the way to an International Reporters Convention in America, Florida to be exact, one of our reporters , me, came across the horrible scene of Harry Potter on the ground unable to move. See below the ghastly photo._ **

 

            Pansy frowned at the picture of Harry on the ground. She could make out a fireplace in the distance and wondered if they had been flooing somewhere. Harry didn’t look good. Even in the black and white depiction, she could see that he was most likely pale and sweating profusely.

 

**_It is not apparent what exactly Mister Potter had been ill with but it was obvious to those witnessing it that medical attention should have been called. The International Terminal did not call for help nor did they alert the nearest hospital. They have declined to comment on the situation and refuse to speak without a lawyer present._ **

**_While Mister Potter was potentially dying on the floor with no one batting an eye, Mister Malfoy sprung into action and immediately started brewing a potion. Right there in the terminal. He managed to brew a dangerous potion if done wrong, without a lab or even a cauldron. The room did not have customer access readily available so the only conclusion to Mister Malfoy being able to heat up his potion, is that he allowed some of his magic to be the receptor. Interesting. Most people would not have done so._ **

**_Recently rumors of their supposed marriage being a farce have been called into question. Look closely, my readers, you can see Mister Potter’s markings of the in perpetuum simul ceremony. Not to mention the ring on his finger. Mister Malfoy has the same markings. It would appear the Quibbler had been correct in reporting of their marriage. Harry Potter is indeed married to one Draco Malfoy._ **

 

          Blaise looked down when the photo changed to Draco rushing over with a potion. The photos bled into several more of Draco tending to Harry. He watched the worry on his best friend’s face as he wiped sweat off of Harry’s forehead, showing his scar. He was worried for the both of them and annoyed that they had not received any word of this. Why were they finding out from the _Daily Prophet?_

 

**_As you can clearly see Mister Potter was in good hands today. Mister Malfoy tended to him with patience and care of someone who he obviously cares a lot about._ **

****

           Pansy smiled slightly when Draco pulled Harry into his lap and held him as the potion took effect. She was impressed with the quality of the photos and how many had been taken. Her smile grew when Harry kissed Draco firmly in view of an apparent audience.

 

**_The potion worked as it should and Mister Potter was feeling good enough to thank his husband with a sweet kiss. I, alike the other members of the crowd of nosy patrons was impressed with Mister Malfoy’s potion brewing skills and quick thinking. A future career as a Potions Master would not be surprising._ **

 

            Blaise and Pansy frowned when someone must have said something because Harry and Draco jerked a little in the photo and looked wide eyed at the crowd of people.

 

**_As soon as someone identified the both of them, they quickly left the terminal and went to an unknown destination. Some rumors have since popped up since then, they state that the two young men are on their honeymoon. Tips and other sightings around the world seem to confirm this theory. While the statements and photos of these witnesses are being verified, it is clear that the power couple has visited several countries over the near past month. Is there an underlying reason? Or are they just enjoying their honeymoon? Either way, it does not matter. Anyone with eyes can see the two are in love. Hopefully this article dispels any further rumors and quiets the persistent naysayers as of late._ **

****

**_-D. Day, Daily Prophet intern reporter._ **

 

            Pansy let out a low whistle. “Intern?” She wondered a little skeptically. Normally and intern wouldn’t be allowed to report directly to the paper. She was surprised they had spun a positive article about them and not the normal trash that Skeeter releases. It was smart of them to release it tonight and not tomorrow morning when Skeeter’s usual reports go out.

            “D. Day?” Blaise questioned. He wondered who this person was but was grateful for the article, even if it was a little dramatic. He sincerely doubted that Harry had been about to die.

            “Sweet Salazar.” Millicent wheezed as she read her own paper. “They really are married.” She was staring at the photo of then kissing with something akin to wonder.

            Pansy and Blaise folded their arms across their chest as they glared at her. “We _told_ you they were together.” They retorted in unison.

            The whole Slytherin table seemed to be listening intently to the conversation. They weren’t the only ones either, the Hall had gone quiet as everyone looked to Pansy and Blaise, who had not noticed the extra attention.

            “We were at their wedding.” Pansy said with a sniffle. She did not appreciate her words being doubted.

            “Yeah…” Millicent trailed off delicately when she realized that she had insulted them. “It just seemed so unlikely. I mean they have always hated each other.”

            Before Blaise or Pansy could retort, several students from other tables stood up with their fists raised.

“That’s because Malfoy corrupted him!”

“Harry wouldn’t have married him!”

“Lies!”

“It is all fake!”

“This is why Slytherins aren’t to be trusted!”

            The onslaught of yelling was getting out of control. None of the Slytherins knew what to say. Now they were being blamed for someone’s marriage, that had nothing to do with them? What?

            “Quiet!” Minerva yelled with her voice enhanced. She sighed when the noise only increased and the angry retorts were being strewn around. When wands were drawn, all the teachers stood up to prepare to break anything up.

            Abigail looked around with wide eyes. “What the hell kind of school did I get myself into?” She whispered to herself as she doubted all decisions before this one. She might have heard Neville snort but it was hard to hear over all the shouting and angry noises. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Luna looked away from the door for the first time in a while. She opened her mouth to ask about that but the doors banged open loudly. Even amidst the yells, the sound reverberated off the walls, effectively ending all the commotion.

            Not a single noise could be heard when heads turned to see the intruders.

            Anger was radiating off both Harry and Draco as they stood in the entrance to the Great Hall, hands entwined and eyes roaming around the room. They took in the students standing, the raised fists and the fingers pointing towards the Slytherin table with narrowed eyes.

            Draco narrowed his eyes when he noticed that not a single Slytherin was sitting on the side where their backs would be turned. Every single one of his Slytherins had their backs against the wall so that they could see the other tables. It made him angry to think that they weren’t even safe enough to eat normally. He tightened his hold on Harry’s hand, needing the comfort and the grounding that always happened near his husband.

            With Harry’s comfort, Draco let his magic out and marched forward toward the Slytherin table as his anger exploded around him. Silverware shook and plates rattled as they walked by. Heaven help them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you may have noticed that this is the last chapter of this instalment. Don't panic. Don't worry. I did this for a reason. The second instalment was always meant for their honeymoon. What happens at Hogwarts will be their own instalment. I could have combined it and had another long book but I didn't like that idea. I will be back with the new installment sometime within the next seven days. If you are not subscribed to my author updates, I would recommend doing that, so that you don't miss the next update. If you just like to check periodically, then okay, that works too. Lol. 
> 
> For the actual chapter. I wanted to give you all some more thoughts and perspective of my characters. I do realize that Blaise and Pansy didn't have a whole lot of points of view. I had this chapter be a lot about Abigail for reasons I won't go into. :P Also, I wanted to show different views to Hogwarts. I wanted you all to see the teachers interacting as well. I think the Filius and Remus teasing Severus is my favorite part. Hagrid. He is rather hard to write. I had to go back and study the way he talks. I haven't mastered it but I am trying. 
> 
> The timeline. So, there is a time difference between Florida and England, obviously. It is a five hour difference, with England ahead. Harry and Draco were at the international terminal early in the morning and spent about half a day at Disney World. Which could still fit the time of being there for dinner seem plausible. 
> 
> I am sure you noticed that there were several characters that I did not show you what they were thinking. That was intentional. If I want to change that later on I will. But it would be a lot to show you what they are all thinking. 
> 
> I would've had the chapter posted yesterday but the sorting hat's song was what stopped me. Well... it was a little hard for me. I hate poems, and that is essentially what his songs sound like to me. There wasn't much rhyming, that was because I suck shit at stuff like that. Lol. Just deal with it. I want you all to think back to the fifth book when the hat gave out its warning. Not the whole song, just the warning at the very end. If you have the time to look at it, it might make more sense to this warning in my book. It is actually pretty easy to fit into my own story. His warning doesn't necessarily have to have been for Voldemort. The plea for unity fit so well with my story and it was honestly easy to include it into here that I think it was gifted from the muse gods. 
> 
> There were several things I am hoping you all take from this chapter. Quite a few key points were mentioned. Some subtle, *Hint* *Hint* and some of them were pretty blatant. Well, my kind of blatant. 
> 
> Luna. She has grown on me. I can remember debating about killing her in the first book. I am glad I didn't. She will make a good frustrating friend for Abigail. 
> 
> The article, that was something I planned to do from the moment I had a whole crowd of people watching them. It was too public for people to not take notice. Also, there is something about the article I want you to keep in mind for later. It was something Pansy said. 
> 
> The title of the chapter should help with some of the hints. I thought it was obvious who this supposed ally might be. But that could just be me. *Shrugs* 
> 
> A few people had mentioned that they wanted Harry and Draco to appear during dinner and holding hands. Well there you have it folks. I can be accommodating. *Whispers that I was going to do it all along but will pretend it was to please you anyways.*
> 
> Favorite quote of the chapter, 'Does it look like I smile internally?'
> 
> I will be back soon. Hopefully you liked not only this chapter but this instalment as well. See you soon. :) 
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


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